


Invisible Control

by glitterncrimson



Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:34:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 23,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25096918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterncrimson/pseuds/glitterncrimson
Summary: Miserable following the death of her parents Addie Gilbert doesn't want anything to do with anyone or anything. She particularly loathes the supernatural world her sister Elena brings into their life and wants nothing to do with it. Compelled by a blue-eyes stranger, Addie is told to take control of her life. She's determined to make things better than ever. But how do you make someone realize you're right in front of them when you're invisible?
Relationships: Damon Salvatore/Original Female Character(s), Elena Gilbert/Stefan Salvatore, Klaus Mikaelson/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	1. Chapter 1

Water cascaded in sheets along the dark, windy road. The rain flowed over the tar and made rivulets of mud along the side of the road, flowing into the woods that thickened a few feet away. Addie stomped through the mud, getting a small satisfaction from the squelching sounds of the ground trying to take her Converse and the rush of air released when she had to force her foot up to make the next step through the muddy terrain. She had been walking in the rain for so long that she was soaked; Addie couldn't tell if it was tears on her cheek or if she had finally stopped crying. Typically wet clothes left her feeling slimy and anxious but she was so despondent and defeated that the usual provocation was hardly a blip on her radar. 

Life could be such hell sometimes, and everyone expected her to handle it perfectly. They expected her to be like Elena and keep it all together and write her feelings down in some book and that would somehow keep her from breaking. Everyone gave Jeremy a free pass because he had already started smoking weed before their parents died; it had just gotten worse after. She was the one battling with mental health issues for the past four years and somehow she was supposed to be just fine by journaling? It was ridiculous. 

Of course, there were the magical little pills everyone expected to make her better. She had so many different ones that she swore she could open her own pharmacy. But she had been taking the pills since she was 12 and still struggled with a roller coaster of emotions. All they had done when when her parents died was tweak the dosage. The past few years had been countless dosage tweaks that seemed to have no effect but no ever listened to her when she said anything. _They_ noticed a difference in her moods, so _obviously_ the medicine was working, according to her parents and her doctor. It didn't matter that Addie still felt bat-crap crazy. But, like the semi-obedient daughter she was, she took the pills without too much complaining. 

Now, with her parents gone, Aunt Jenna watched her every night take her medication, as if she couldn't be trusted to take it on her own. Her parents and Jenna and Holy Elena and big brother Jeremy would all be pissed at her if she started cutting so she hadn't. She'd read about lot of people who had found relief in it. However, she couldn't bring herself to do it because it would be just another way she had screwed up.

Exercise was as close to control as she could get. She couldn't control her mind. She couldn't control her body in the exact way that she wanted. But she could push her body to incredible limits with running. The constriction of her lungs as she fought for air, the aching of her muscles as she pushed beyond her capabilities, the blisters were all just side effects of healthy, stress relieving exercise. At least that's what everyone saw. They did not see that they were ways she was punishing herself in a socially acceptable manner. Or that running had become a way for her to escape into her body and away from her problems. When reality became too much, she literally ran from it. That's why she was out in the hot, humid, summer rain.

Jenna and Elena had been talking about her mother again and about cheer leading. Aunt Jenna wanted to know if Elena was going to do it this school year. It was always about Elena with her mother. Elena this or Elena that. All Addie ever did was fight with her mother and have her mother tell her to be more like Elena. To be more girly. To quit all her sports and dress more feminine. Addie couldn't handle hearing about her mother or about how perfect Elena was in her mother's eyes. Instead, she did what she always did when things got bad; she ran.

It had only been dusk when she had started running but it was full on night, now. The clouds had rumbled in when she had turned onto the road leading out of town, almost three miles from home. Two more miles out and on the edge of town, the pain of running five miles had begun to catch up with her. For another mile she had been stomping through the mud in anger, gaining that small sense of satisfaction of not getting stuck in what was acting like quicksand. She was thankful that she had worn a pair of old high-top Converse as it meant they were securely attached but the cloth was drenched and the shoe waterlogged; she'd have blisters, for sure. 

Up ahead she saw a figure lying in the road. It was much too big to be a rabbit, squirrel, or any small game but the deer in these woods could get pretty big. This lump looked too flat to be an animal; getting closer it looked more and more human. Realizing it was human, Addie ran up to the figure.

But it wasn't on the ground anymore when she got there. She looked around and suddenly a man with a devilishly handsome smile was behind her.

"What the hell?! You can get killed lying in the middle of the road, you idiot. If you're on a holy crusade for suicide, hey, I'm all for suicide if you hate life that much. I get being that selfish. Yet how can you be so reckless? Some driver could have swerved or slammed on the brakes to try and avoid hitting you. In that process, you could have gotten them killed! That's just - that's - ugh." shrieked Addie, her voice scratchy and strained from all her crying.

The man stood there, his smile growing and his blue eyes taking on a dangerous shine. "I think the word you're looking for is still selfish. You might not be able to fathom killing someone but others are just that selfish," he smirked, walking back towards the edge of the woods to prop himself up against a tree.

Addie felt a sensation pulling her towards the raven haired man. She never really paid much attention to guys but she noticed the way his black hair fell in his eyes, plastered to his forehead by the rain, and his angular features. The eyes, a very unusual shade of blue, almost like steel, were most enticing. She couldn't deny that he was attractive.

"You'd do that?" asked Addie, cocking her head to the side. She could feel the anger rising up in her. Was it that he was so selfish? Or was it that he didn't care if a car accident happen? He could have been the thing lying in the middle of the road that made her dad swerve off the bridge. He could have been the reason that she and Jeremy were so screwed up and Elena was the miracle child, yet again, for making it out alive.

"Mhm," he smirked, propping one foot back against the tree. "I'd even kill you. Right here. Right now."

Addie looked at him for a minute. He definitely looked like he could kill her. If he killed her she wouldn't have to deal with being pissed off when anything remotely tied back to her parents came up. She wouldn't have to deal with having to live up to the standards set by Elena. She wouldn't have to deal with all the pain that came with remembering the past.

Addie just shook her head, feeling the hot tears versus the slightly cooler rain fall down her face. She couldn't believe she was contemplating this. Saying this.

"Do it."

Plus, he was probably bluffing. 

"If you're sure," he said smugly. He pushed himself of the tree trunk with grace and stepped up in front of her. The man raised a hand to her throat, his fingers splayed around the front of her throat. Slowly, he walked behind her and as he did so, he crushed down on her windpipe.

As he stood flush behind her, Addie began to feel herself struggle for breath. Instinctively her hand went up to her throat, trying to pry away the fingers. They only clamped down harder. The primal human fear of death kicked in, as did the years of martial arts training her mother had hated. To keep him distracted, she still clawed at her fingers while her other hand curled into a fist and she shoved her elbow back, hard into his stomach, trying to go up under his ribcage or at least crack one. He doubled back in shock, his grip on her throat slackening. Addie had a chance to grab a hold of the man's wrist. She pulled the arm straight down, tugging it backwards under her shoulder until she heard something snap. It sounded like his shoulder. She brought her other arm up and used her hand to smash the man's elbow in the wrong way.

Turning around to face him, she saw the shock on his face but she didn't let it phase her; this man had been about to kill her. Admittedly, she had told him to do it but no _sane_ person would have agreed. She shot out a foot; he was too close for a kick to the stomach so she improvised, using a sharp kick to take him down with a solid kick right behind his knee and a forceful shove, sending him flat on his back.

Feeling tears of anger and relief and all the pent up emotions she had been keeping since her parents' death overtook her, manifesting as violence and loud sobs. She dropped down over the man, not wanting to look into his enticing eyes, and began slamming her fist into his face and chest and arms. At first she stuck to his torso, not wanting to damage his beautiful face but Addie wasn't gaining enough satisfaction from hitting hard, solid muscle. She wanted him to hurt. She wanted him to pay. She needed someone to feel the way she felt. The feelings of bones smashing under her fist helped; the blood gushing from his mouth and nose giving her a sense of freedom.

That's when Addie realized something was wrong. Something was off about this fight; it wasn't a fight. The man wasn't doing anything to ward her off; he was simply laying there. Bones in face that should have been broken seemed to keep breaking and breaking again under her first. His face shouldn't even be structured after so many hits but it was still as handsome as ever, even covered in blood.

The young man took advantage of the girl's slowing in attacks and use the moment to reverse the situation. He now had her pinned, holding her wrist down tightly on either side of her head. She looked so lost and broken. She looked out of control. Now, she looked like a literal mess, too; the tussle had gotten mud and blood splattered all over her. The constant fall of tears and rain mostly kept her face clean.

He was just going to kill her but actually requesting that he do it and then having the nerve to actually attack him piqued his curiosity. It was natural for people to fight back but she was good at it. Damon wasn't sure why he let her pound on him, perhaps it had been the fire he could sense in her.

"What's your name?" he demanded. He hadn't used compulsion on her so far and she seemed so reckless that he didn't think he would have to.

Addie closed her eyes and weakly attempted to pull her wrist out from under his hands. She knew it was useless but she'd feel stupid if she didn't at least try. "Addison Gilbert but I go by Addie."

Gilbert. If he recalled correctly, and he was certain he did, that was the last name of the girl that looked exactly like Katherine Pierce? Interesting development. This must be her little sister. No wonder the kid was spiraling; she just lost her parents a month ago. He didn't like to recall how he had felt when his mother had passed but he wasn't himself for a while.

"Well, Addie, this a small town. I get what's up. I suggest you stop letting the past control you and take control of your own life," he emphasized the last part, making sure he held her gaze. He saw the small eye-roll she gave him. Compulsion it was. "Take control of your life, Addie."

With that he flashed off into the night.

* * *

Addie hit her alarm for the seventh time, knowing she could no longer put off getting up. Rolling over to get out of bed, she realized too late that she hadn't needed to, landing on the floor.

"Ow," she grumbled, rubbing the center of her back as she walked towards her dresser.

Every year her mother would take her back to school shopping for clothes and she would never end up buying anything because Addie and her mother always had to fight about what was appropriate. Her mom wanted tighter or shorter while Addie wanted it plain and simple. This year she hadn't had to go with her mother and had actually bought new clothes, and for the first time since the second grade had a new outfit for the first day of school. The idea made her a little sad, as it reminded her of her mother's death, but she couldn't forever live in misery.

Pulling out a pair of khakis, Addie considered that her taste in clothes had changed slightly over the summer. Taking a mock white, button-up blouse that had the layered look of being a navy sweater vest over it off the hanger, she concluded that she did like having a more professional look some days but other days were strictly jeans and band t-shirt days with her trusty flannel. Her options in clothing were expanding but it still didn't include the preppy, girly style her sister had.

Addie swiftly tugged on the clothes before finding a pair of navy Converse for her feet. She almost exclusively wore converse and had over a dozen pairs. She wasn't addicted to shoes, just Converse All Stars. One of the other three types of shoes she owned were track shoes, which she grabbed and tossed in her backpack. She double checked the backpack for gym clothes, notebooks, and several different colored gel pens to keep her notes interesting.

Slinging the bag over one shoulder she popped into the bathroom and quickly washed her face and scrubbed her teeth. Addie brushed so hard that her gums bled a little; Elena had left her make-up shit all over the skin again and it annoyed her. Rinsing her mouth out, she remember what Aunt Jenna had said the last time Addie and Elena got into a fight about the cosmetics being left out. With a smirk, she grabbed the waste-bin and swept all the face painting goop into it. Now there was nothing to argue about.

"'Dear diary, today I am excellent and everyone at school will tell me how excellent and perfect I am,'" Addie mocked, nailing her impersonation of her big sister. She couldn't help but to open up Elena's side of the adjoining bathroom and bothering her. When Addie saw her writing at the window seat, she knew exactly what she was doing.

Elena looked up at her little sister with a glare. "Oooh, so close but so not right."

"Totally right," returned Addie. "I'm heading straight down to the bus stop. I don't really feel like doing the whole 'Yay! First day of school' thing with Jenna this morning. Will you tell her for me?"

Elena set her diary down and stood up, walking towards her sister as she talked, "Only if you give me a serious, two armed hug."

Addie made mumbles of protest and bossy big sisters as she walked into Elena's open arms. Once there, she was immediately crushed into her sister who started happily singing into her ear.

"Yay! I can't believe we're going to be in the same lunch period this year! It will be just like middle school: Bonnie, Caroline, you and me!"

With much force, Addie was able to extract herself from her sister. She tried to scowl but a smile kept tugging at her lips. "You are only marginally better than Aunt Jenna. Make sure and give Jer-bear the same treatment; I know it will make his day."

With that, Addie turned around to head out the front door. Until Elena called after her.

"I will if you ride with me to school. Bonnie's picking me up soon."

Addie groaned. She loved Bonnie. Bonnie was actually one of her favorite people but that meant more time with her sister and more time in this house, with the possibility of being caught by Aunt Jenna. Though, the bus was loud, overcrowded, and just gross.

"Only if I get to wait upstairs!" she declared, already sitting down on Elena's bed, tossing her backpack to the floor.

"Deal," Elena grinned before bounding out the room and down the stairs.

Addie eyed the door for a few minutes before grabbing the diary her sister had left perched on the window seat. It had been a few days since she had last read it and she was actually kind of interested to see what Elena had put for today.

_Dear diary, today will be different. It has to be. I will smile, and it will be believable. My smile will say 'I'm fine, thank you.' 'Yes, I feel much better.' I will no longer be the sad little girl who lost her parents. I will start fresh, be someone new. It's the only way I'll make it through._

Tossing the journal back where it had been. She didn't need to know any more about how Elena could simply decide to be someone new, someone happy and just do it with no problem. Addie would admit that she was handling the loss of her parents better than her siblings and was now actually going to therapy and reading self-help books along with taking her medication, but she couldn't just wake up as someone new. It still ached. Plus, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wake up as someone who wasn't so screwed up by being depressed for absolutely no reason. This only made her feel guilty since she had a good life but the guilt only made the depression worse. So, she buried it and pretended it wasn't there. 

* * *

"So Grams is telling me I'm psychic. Our ancestors were from Salem, witches and all that, I know, crazy, but she's going on and on about it, and I'm like, put this woman in a home already!" carried on Bonnie Bennett, her eyes focused on the road. This was just one of the reasons that she loved this girl, her passion and energy. "But then I started thinking, I predicted Obama and I predicted Heath Ledger, and I still think Florida will break off and turn into little resort islands."

Addie shook her head, this was ridiculous, "Ok, Salem witches and everything, that's cool. Like if your family escaped from persecution. How historically epic would that be? But, predictions mean nothing. I predicted September 11th, not the exact buildings, but just ask Jeremy or Elena, if she was paying any attention to us right now. I freaking predicted our parents' death too, but I'm sure she doesn't want you to ask about that."

Elena, at the mention of her parents, snapped back into the conversation from her own thoughts. "You know what," she snarled, turning around from the front passenger seat to shake a warning finger at Addie, "how about you don't bring up any of that ever again or I'll hit you so hard that you'll get amnesia and entirely forget about it."

The younger sister smirked with mirth, "Please, leave the threats to those that can actually carry them out. We both know you'd never stand a chance against me." She didn't want to talk about it either because if she did, it would only remind her of how much she really blamed Elena for going to that party. For picking that party over her, when she tried to convince her she needed her home for the traditional family game night. For going, changing her mind and then making Mom and Dad come get her.

"So you're like psychic now, Bonnie?" Elena said apologetically, turning to her friend. "Right. Okay, then predict something. About me."

When they got to the school, Addie asked where Jeremy would most likely be. The bus had picked him up long before Bonnie had gotten them. Elena pointed towards what looked like a drop off area for 18-wheeler trucks. As she headed closer Addie caught the smell of pot and cigarettes. What kind of school didn't just simply break this mess up?

Addie spotted Jeremy talking to Vickie Donovan, the girl he'd been drinking, drugging, and sleeping with all summer, along with a muscular guy with short brown hair. She hung back for a moment, not particularly caring for Vickie but as soon as she saw the girl and the mystery guy kiss she headed towards Jeremy.

"What was that?" Addie demanded of her brother, Vickie and the boy passing her.

Jeremy turned to his little sister. The last thing he wanted was a lecture from her about Vickie. "It was nothing, Ad."

"Really?" remarked Addie, raising an eyebrow. "Because it looked like some tool macking on the girl you've been with all summer."

"So, it was a little what it looks like. What do you want?" Now came the part where she would tell him he could do better.

Addie never liked Vickie but she had been Jeremy's way of coping. She definitely didn't like her kissing some other boy right in front of her brother when they had been shagging all summer. She crossed her arms and stared down at her brother.

"You know, that's pretty sleazy of that guy to kiss her right in front of you like that. Or does he not know what you guys have been up to?" concern for her brother and disgust at the other girl laced Addie's voice.

Jeremy slung his backpack over his right shoulder, just as his sister had hers, and made to get up. Addie held back the small smile; she really didn't realize just exactly how many things she picked up and mirrored from her older brother. He was only older than her by eleven months, making him one of the first to turn 16 in the 10th grade and her just making the cut off to be in the same year as him. Growing up they had always been close and Addie practically idealized her brother. She had wanted to be just like him and had picked up so many of his mannerisms and habits over the years. When their parents died, Jeremy took up a method of coping that, for the first time, she didn't want to follow. The results were her and Jeremy drifting apart but that didn't mean she didn't still love him.

"I'm not talking about this with you, Addison," Jeremy said sternly, using his big brother voice and heading towards an entrance into the school. Addie had to walk quickly to keep up with his intentionally long strides.

"I get it. Of course, I wouldn't be a good sister if I didn't point out that she shouldn't be ashamed about you. She's lucky to be or have been - or whatever the hell you guys are - with you. Not to mention, what if she was just using you so she didn't have to pay for drugs? Maybe she's ashamed of that. I'd be ashamed of using a guy for drugs," Addie rambled on absentmindedly, following Jeremy through the halls. It wasn't until she almost bumped into his chest that she realized that he had stopped walking.

"Don't say that," he gritted out, a hurt look in his dark brown eyes.

It was only then that Addie realized what she was really saying, "Jer, I'm so -"

"Just go," Jeremy said pointing down the hall. "Go to class, Addie."

Normally she would have persisted but she could see that what she had said really upset Jeremy. Addie didn't want to step on any toes so she backed down and headed towards English.

* * *

"I had a run in with your brother today," Elena huffed, strolling along towards the cemetery. "You know he was stoned first thing this morning? Like before the first bell? Did you know that? Can you believe him? I mean, yeah, I get the little "troubled" phase he had this summer but I thought he'd straighten up for school."

A rush of frustration with Jeremy washed over Addie but it was nothing compared to the pang of guilt she felt. There had still been ten minutes before the first bell rang when she had left him, upset by her remarks about Vickie. At that time he had been sober. In those few minutes he must have gone back outside to smoke. She knew he smoked when he was most upset and she couldn't help but wonder if her words had affected him so badly.

Addie had taken the three mile walk to the cemetery in stride, while Elena had been left a little winded. Addie may have been walking at a faster pace than usual, not particularly pleased with her sister's company. The walk for her was nothing; in fact, it was a break compared to running up and down the bleachers at the football stadium. Ms. Allen, the track coach did not ease her runners back in from summer vacation but tossed them into the lion's den.

"Have you ever notice he's my brother when he does something you don't approve of yet he's our brother the rest of the time?" Addie pointed out. Lightly, jokingly she added, "How come I never get to pawn him off on you when he screws up? How is it fair that you can brag about our brother but I can't brag about my totally messed up one?"

Elena's breath evened and her voice lowered as they turned onto the gravel drive of the of the cemetery entrance, taking the familiar path towards her parents' grave. "You have more control and influence over him than I do. Makes sense that you should be able to keep a better reign on him."

There were so many things wrong with that idea which made Addie want to explode on her sister. It was over simple things like these ideas that she and her sister would never truly get along and she'd never really like her. She would always love her though. Family was family.

"Control? I can't just take control of Jeremy's life," Addie snapped at the ludicrous idea. She could barely manage her own life. "And in case you didn't notice, Jeremy Gilbert is a singular, individual person with his own, independent mind. Besides, it's not like he's a dog on a leash that I can lead wherever I want, nor would I want him to be that way. I love Jeremy just the way he is, even if he doesn't make the wisest choices sometimes. Now, stop talking and start writing, Scaredy Cat."

Elena gave Addie a dirty look before sitting up against her parents' headstone, pulling her diary from her purse, and beginning to write. Addie sat at what would be the feet of her parents' grave. She couldn't understand how Elena could sit on their parents' faces; it was just weird, even if they were six feet underground. Worse yet was that she didn't know why she continually indulged Elena in these little field trips to the graveyard. The cemetery creeped Elena out so much she couldn't face it alone, and, yet, she found comfort in being near her parents' burial site.

Addie supposed that was why she let Elena convince her to accompany her. Addie had found a way, she wasn't sure how, but she did find a way to regain as much power, if not more, over her life since her parents death. Elena was still falling off Wickery Bridge but being near her dead parents was like a parachute; it made her feel better. Addie remembered that falling feeling and if she couldn't pull her sister out of the air, she would at least slow her down. She loved her sister even if she annoyed the hell out of her.

Addie had taken out a book assigned for school, _Wuthering Heights_ , and was reading when she noticed a crow land next to Elena's head on their parents' headstone. She thought it was strange that a bird would willingly land so closely to humans. It seemed to be staring back and forth between Addie and her sister. Elena hadn't noticed and continued to write.

"Elena, don't freak," Addie reassured her sister calmly before using a strong, louder, commanding voice. "Scatter, creepy crow!"

Elena had looked and screamed when she saw the bird right next to her head but relief filled both the sisters as it took off.

"Stupid scrapper birds," mumbled Addie, turning back to her book.

Elena, out of the corner of her eye, saw the crow return and land in between them about two feet away. Behind it a sudden layer of fog was quickly approaching her and Addie. Freaky graveyards freaked her out; she would come back another day.

"Let's go, Addison. Now," Elena quivered, putting her diary back in her bag and standing up. As the fog rolled closer her fear increased and she ran to escape, cutting through the woods and taking an unmarked path.

Startled, Addie looked around to see why her sister was so paranoid. It was always something serious when Elena used her full name. There was the crow and the sudden fog; her sister's fear of the weird and of birds was strong but so strong as to make her run like that? As the fog rose up from the ground, becoming denser, Addie thought she saw a man hiding behind one of the statuesque headstone. Briskly walking, it took a moment for Addie to catch up with her sister. She had almost caught up to her when she saw her fall almost flat on her face, her hands catching her. Addie could hear her hiss as she came up next to Elena and saw the tear in her jeans and the slight scrape on her knee.

Elena quickly took the hand Addie held out and pulled herself up before turning around on the path that would lead them to the exit from the cemetery. Addie took a step back as right in front of them was a young man, maybe her sister's age, in a dark t-shirt and a dark jacket. The figure she had seen had been in dark clothing, perhaps?

"Were you following us?" she demanded harshly, tugging on the sleeve of Elena's jacket, trying to pull her closer to her but she didn't budge.

The young man with bright hazel green eyes spared a glance at Addie before returning his focus to Elena, "No, I-a, uh, I-I just - I saw your sister fall."

Addie crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in disbelief, "Uh-huh, and you just happened to be hanging out in a cemetery?"

The guy gave her a hard look, "I'm visiting. I have family here."

Elena had been too startled by the reappearance of the sexy mystery guy from school to say anything until now. It wasn't unusual for Addie to be rude but to someone she didn't even know. Manners were a foreign concept to her little sister. She shot Addie a warning glare that said 'be nice or get lost'. Addie rolled her eyes; Elena didn't intimidate her.

"Wow. Forgive my tactless sister. I apologize. It's the fog. It's making her, uh, foggy. And back there, there was this - this bird, and it was all Hitchcock-y for a -"

"It was a crow and my mind is not foggy. You found it Hitchcock-y while I sensed a disturbance in the force," Addie cut Elena off, closing her deep blue eyes and acting like a meditating Jedi.

Elena and the mysterious guy both looked at her with puzzled faces.

Addie shook her head sadly and sighed deeply, "You don't get the Star Wars reference? Well, I just simply don't like either one of you."

Addie walked past her sister, who she heard making apologies and excuses for her to mystery man, and grit her teeth in annoyance. She didn't want her doing that; this was who she was. But it was hardly like she was going to go back and have a fight with Elena right now over it.

* * *

Somehow she had found her way to the Mystic Grill; it was better than the awkward tension at home. Addie slid into a booth, thankfully unnoticed by her brother so she could observe him. Jeremy tried to catch Vickie's attention once but she blew him off to wait on her brother Matt and the guy that had kissed her that morning. Now that Addie had a better look at him, she recognized the boy as the mayor's son, Tyler Lockwood. Jeremy caught up with Vickie again and they started to talk. Her brother could do so much better than chasing after some druggie. Addie's view was interrupted as Caroline and Bonnie sat on either side of her at the circular booth.

"Ad," she hated when people she didn't care for, like Caroline, called her that, "have you seen the extremely hot new guy?"

Addie stared at her soda as if she had to think hard to remember him, "Well, nobody I saw was as hot as the sun, so I'm guessing not. Then again, you think every new guy is hot."

"This one actually really is," smiled Bonnie, bumping Addie's shoulder with her own and raising her eyebrows suggestively.

Caroline nodded like a blonde bobble head, "His name is Stefan Salvatore. He lives with his uncle up at the old Salvatore boarding house. He hasn't lived here since he was a kid. Military family, so they moved around a lot. He's a Gemini, and his favorite color is blue."

"You got all that in one day," asked Bonnie, a bit shocked.

"Obsessive, much?" muttered Addie, taking a sip of her Sprite.

"Oh, please, I got all that between third and fourth period. We're planning a June wedding."

"Nope, just plain mental," Addie whispered to Bonnie, who held back a giggle.

Caroline hadn't seem to notice Addie's comments at all. "If you guys will excuse me, I'm going to the restroom."

As soon as her seat was evacuated, it was taken up again by Matt Donovan, Elena's ex-boyfriend. Addie groaned inwardly; if Caroline was an overly eager puppy, Matt was always the lost and wounded dog you wanted to take care of. A smirk fought at her lips as she thought that she was as much a dog person as she wasn't a people person.

"Hey, Addie, how are you doing?" he asked cautiously, just like everyone else had been since her parents' death.

"Walking on sunshine. And before you ask about Elena, think about it, Matt. Our parents died. How do you think? She's putting on a good face, but it's only been four months," Addie said, trying to sound patient.

Matt nodded, understandingly, though Addie could see that he didn't. He looked between her and Bonnie, "Has she said anything about me?"

"Oh, no. So not getting in the middle. You pick up the phone and call her," Bonnie quickly cut in, knowing that whatever Addie would've said would have been much harsher.

Surprisingly, Addie was a bit sympathetic to him. "Give it more time, Matt."

"More time, huh?" he asked, walking over towards the entrance, were Addie was surprised to see Elena and mystery cemetery man.

In the blink of an eye, Addie was somehow squished between Bonnie and Caroline on her right and Elena and the unknown dude on her left. She tuned in to the conversation long enough to gather that this was Stefan Salvatore, the extremely hot guy, before counting the grooves in the wooden table. She honestly couldn't care less about the 21 questions game they were playing with the novelty toy.


	2. Chapter Two

Addie strolled through the labyrinth of school hallways, her shoulders thrown back in confidence. If only she felt the confidence she exuded. However, she found it was an effective way to get people to leave her alone. Nobody gave her pity glances or asked her how she was since the death of her parents; those were reserved for her siblings. Addie was taking control of her life, even if it meant faking a bit of confidence.

She turned a corner towards trigonometry before turning right back around. She was too slow, though. She'd been spotted.

"Addie!" Elena called, her and her new puppy bounding up to Addie.

She let her head fall back against one of the old blue lockers, relishing in the slight pain of the thump before they could reach her.

"Can't you be a normal big sister and pretend we don't know each other at school?" Addie groaned, turning towards the pair, leaning against the locker with a shoulder.

"Nope. It's too much fun embarrassing you." Eagerly Elena shoved a tattered old book in her sister's face and proudly gushed, "Stefan brought it!"

Addie knew Elena was just trying to gain her approval of Stefan but she just didn't like him. She didn't trust him. There was something undeniably dark about him. He just felt wrong.

"Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell," explained Stefan, the glided covering so faded that the lettering was difficult to read.

 _Show-off_ , Addie thought while Elena looked at him admiringly.

"You know, I can't believe she didn't use her real name," Elena remarked.

"All the Bronte sisters used pseudonyms. It was the time. Female writers weren't very accepted," he shrugged.

 _And a know-it-all, too_. 

Addie snatched the book from him. She knew _Wuthering Heights_ by heart. Flipping to a random page she read a paragraph; it was accurate. Inspecting the binding and cover, she knew enough about books to know that this dated back to around the time it was originally published.

"All right. You win. It was technically written by whoever Bell and 'Emily Bronte' was a pseudonym. It doesn't really matter what name she went by; the book is the same either way," Addie huffed, shoving the book into Stefan's hands and continuing on towards math.

Seeing Caroline and Bonnie heading down the same hallway, she sped up to link her arm with Bonnie's, receiving a brilliant smile. Hearing Caroline she realized what conversation she had walked into.

"I'm confused. Are you psychic or clairvoyant?"

Bonnie smiled patiently at Caroline and explained, "Technically, Grams says I'm witch. My ancestors were these really cool Salem witch chicks or something. Grams tried to explain it but she was looped on the liquor so I kinda tuned out."

"Crazy family? Yes. Witches? I don't think so. Fleeing accused ancestors? Yes," Addie interrupted Bonnie, annoyed with this insane psychic and witch stuff Bonnie had been spouting. There was no scientific evidence that magic was real; therefore there was no explanation for psychics or witches. Without any explanation, there could be no truth. It was simple logic.

Caroline ignored her, "Yeah, well, feel free to conjure up the name and number of that guy from last night."

Bonnie laughed slightly, "I didn't see him, you did. Why didn't you just talk to him?"

"I don't -"

Addie cut off the blonde, "Caroline Forbes did not pounce on a hot guy? Someone alert the media!"

With that, Addie slipped into her trigonometry class.

* * *

Addie felt unsettled as the rest of the day went by. She hadn't talked to Jeremy or even seen him all day. She had stared at the door for all of biology waiting for him to walk in but he never showed. It hurt her to know her brother was struggling so much but she didn't know what she could do. All she wanted, really, was to binge on video games and greasy pizza with him all night like they would do before the accident.

Not being the friendliest or warmest person, Addie didn't exactly have a clique or even a small group of friends that she hung out with. She had followed Jeremy and his friends for most of the first year of high school and they were more than happy to let her tag along as one of the boys. But after the accident, Jeremy had picked up a new group of… troubled friends that she didn't particularly approve of. She supposed she could have hung out with his old friends, they were welcoming enough, but she never really feel comfortable hanging out with them without her brother.

Ever since they were kids Miranda Gilbert had pushed for her daughters to get along; for her eldest to take Addie under her wing. There were times when Addie was forced to join Elena and her friends, an event both girls hated. Addie got along with Elena's friend Bonnie and actually became close friends with her but Elena's other friends were mostly annoying, vapid airheads, in Addie's opinion. The sisters tried to get along and truly loved each other but there were just too many little things about one another that made them not able to stand the other. Elena, now that her mother was gone, still felt like it was her job to turn Addie into more of a girl like her rather than a tomboy. Addie just wanted to help her siblings move on from their parents' death and that's how she supposed she ended up outside the Mystic Grill with Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena.

"You know, each comet has its own atmosphere so in theory, it's just like any other planet in that it could support life. Ya know, assuming the life could survive the temperature fluctuations. Actually, there is even more to give credit to the theory for comets supporting life; comets have ice. Where we find water on Earth, we find life usually," Addie prattled on while folding flyers, extremely excited about that night's comet.

"Well," Bonnie said pointedly to Addie, starting to enjoy Addie's obsession with hard science versus the supernatural, "I was talking to Grams, and she said the comet is a sign of impending doom. The last time it passed over Mystic Falls there were lots of death. So much blood and carnage, it created a bed of paranormal activity."

"Yeah, well, Einstein's ' _credited_ 'quote on astrology was proven to be a hoax," countered Addie, using her fingers to make quotation symbols. "He never supported the _art_."

"Spoken like a true critical, analytical, narrow-minded Virgo!" jabbed Caroline, a fierce believer in the Chinese Zodiac and its beliefs and ideas.

"Don't get me started on that, Caroline," Addie said dangerously. She would wipe the floor clean with Caroline's tears as she disproved the scientific logic of astrology, yet again.

Caroline ignored the dark brunette, like most times, and turned towards Bonnie, "Then you poured Grams another shot and she told you about the aliens on Addie's comet, right?" Her conversation about the sexy Salvatore with Elena was much more interesting. She turned to oldest Gilbert and asked, "So, then what happened?"

"So then nothing," Elena said simply.

Caroline stared at her in disbelief, "You and Stefan talked all night? There was no sloppy first kiss or touchy-feely of any kind?"

"It was all chatter for hourrrrrrs," Addie drawled. "They made me miss Top Gun so they could talk about absolutely nothing."

"Not even a handshake? I mean, Elena, we are your friends! Addie's your sister! You're supposed to share the smut!"

Addie shook her head, "No smut sharing for me please and thank you. I don't really want to hear about my sister's sex life. Or in her case, lack thereof. They literally just talked."

"Ok, what's is with the blockage?" Caroline demanded of Elena. "Just jump his bones already! Ok, it's easy. Boy likes girl, girl likes boy, sex!"

"Profound," Addie and Elena spoke at the same time in faked awe. They looked at each other, unsure if they were disgusted with each other or found it a cool, bonding sister moment. Addie gave Elena her famous eye roll. With that look, Elena decided to take a page out her sister's new motto on life and take control of her own. She got up and heard Bonnie question where she was going.

"To Stefan's, of course," Addie replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Elena nodded, gathering her nerves, "Caroline's right. It is easy. If I sit here long enough, I'll end up talking myself out of it instead of doing what I started the day saying what I was going to do." She paused as she noticed Addie was right on her heels. "Where are you going?"

"Letting my sister go to some random guy's house alone to possibly get roofied or date raped? Totally an unsisterly thing to do," shrugged Addie, an innocent smile on her face. Really, she just wanted to be a pain in the ass. They made her miss Top Gun so now she was going to be a cockblocker.

* * *

"People seriously live in places like this? I mean besides the Lockwoods? Oh my god! Is he as much of a dick as that punk Tyler that's been pushing Jeremy around?" Addie asked, looking up at the mansion in amazement.

Elena rang the old fashioned doorbell then knocked on the door, which opened a little at her touch. "Tyler's been messing with Jeremy?" she asked distractedly, pushing the door open further and sticking her head in. Addie couldn't believe it when her sister stepped into the house.

"Elena! I know people keep their door unlocked around here but that doesn't make it an open invitation!" Addie hissed at her sister, trying to grab at the back of Elena's jacket.

"Stefan? Stefan?" Elena called out, wandering further into the old boarding house with each call of the boys name.

Addie followed her sister reluctantly. Didn't this count as breaking and entering? Addie was fairly sure it did and was fairly sure they were going to get caught when she heard the creaking of the door. Her and Elena both jumped at the sound. Elena gasped, snapping around as a crow flew through the door and past them. Addie was just as surprised but she tried to pay more attention to the bird. It had an odd midnight blue marking on its chest just like the one in the cemetery. She heard Elena gasp again and turned around.

Inches from Elena's face was the man that she had met laying in the middle of the road. That night felt like years ago. Guilt overwhelmed her in to silence as she stared at him, remembering how she had lost control and had basically smashed his face in. Yet, only a few months later, here he was looking just as handsome as he had that night. No… she remembered the bones repeatedly breaking under fist. His face had only been bloody, not swollen or black and blue, when he had finally had enough of her using him as a punching bag. But that was impossible. She had been so upset; her mind had played tricks on her. Or simply it had been too dark to notice. 

However, it was definitely him. Something about that night had been cathartic. She had let all of her feelings out on him. He was the one who had given her a wake-up call, albeit unknowingly. In beating him up, she realized she had power and strength left in her to fight, and she had to because he was going to kill her. Then he let her pummel him and gave her a new motto for her life: take control.

That bastard was about to kill her and now here her sister was standing right before him. She shot out her arm, getting a tight grip around Elena's, and pulled her back towards her that she stumbled over her feet a little. Addie slightly sidestepped partially in front of Elena, exposing herself to the man but making it harder for him to access her sister, making it clear she would protect her.

The man smiled and cocked his head, as if inquiring about their sudden appearance.

"I...I'm sorry for barging in. The door was," Elena glanced over her shoulder to see a closed door, "open," she finished lamely.

His light blue eyes locked with Addie's darker ones for a moment but she could get no sense of what he was trying to communicate.

"Addison, it's a pleasure to see you again," he smiled slightly. "You must be her sister, Elena. I'm Damon, Stefan's brother."

Addie paused for a moment. She never told him she had a sister. Stefan must have told his brother Elena's last name and he had put two and two together. At least now she had a name for the man.

A cold chill ran down Addie's spine. Just like with Stefan, there was something dark about this man. She hadn't noticed it that night in the rain but here, in the light of day, it was glaringly obvious. It was the kind of darkness that screamed for her to run. 

"It's good to see you, too, Damon. Elena was just looking for Stefan but obviously he isn't here." At this point, Addie's hand grabbed Elena's and was trying to pull her back towards the door. "In which, case we'll just be leaving. We don't want to bother-"

Elena didn't know who she was more annoyed with; her sister for knowing Stefan's brother and not telling her or Stefan.

"Stefan didn't tell me he had a brother."

"Well, Stefan's not one to brag," Damon replied offhandedly. "Kind of like your sister," he shrugged, raising his eyebrows as he caught a look from Addie, who quickly looked back down at her red Converse.

"Please, come," Damon welcomed, ushering Elena by her shoulder further into the house.

Addie let out an internal groan when Elena let go of her hand and did as he said. This was not good. Damon stood waiting for her, his hand out in a welcoming motion. She took a deep breath and walked towards him, letting him guide her further in by the push of his hand on her shoulder. This touch was gentle but she could still remember his hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air supply.

"I'm sure Stefan will be along any second," he continued, leading the sisters into a grand room with high ceilings and a large fireplace. If it wasn't occupied by a man who tried to kill her and one who almost reeked of deception, it would have been one of the dream estates she wished she had out of the old novels she loved.

"Wow. This is your living room?" Elena asked in amazement, looking around at all the old fashioned and expensive furnishing.

"Living room, parlor, Sotheby's auction."

Interrupting him, Addie scoffed as she unconsciously walk in further, "What, did you like buy out a whole collection?"

"Well, we left behind a few pieces," Damon winked at her before continuing. "It's a little kitschy for my taste."

"If you think this is kitschy, then you just don't have appreciation for fine art or the Romantic period," Addie tossed over her shoulder looking at a beautiful painting of a Roman goddess. "Just for that, I like your brother better, and that's not saying much at all."

"Addie!" Elena scolded, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. "I apologize for how rude and weird my sister is. I'm fairly certain she suffered brain damage of some kind at some point," muttered Elena.

"I find myself romantic enough that I don't have to appreciate the period," Damon grinned smugly, ignoring Elena. "Besides, Addison, if you didn't like my brother better than me, well, that would be concerning," Damon said behind her, just out of earshot from Elena.

She turned around to say something smart but he was already walking back over to her sister who was admiring a bookshelf. Addie followed, not wanting to leave her too close to Damon.

"I see why my brother is so smitten. It's about time. For a while there, I never thought he'd never get over the last one. Nearly destroyed him."

Addie had stirred up enough trouble for her siblings to sense what Damon was up to and she didn't like it. He could take his murdering hands and games somewhere else.

"The last one?" Elena asked, slightly puzzled.

"Yeah. Katherine. His girlfriend," he said as if it were obvious. "Oh, you two haven't had the awkward exes conversation yet."

"Nope," forced Elena, scrunching her shoulders up to her neck in an awkward shrug.

"Oops."

"Well, I'm sure it will come up now, Damon," Addie snapped. She was the only one who got to make Elena feel like that.

Damon nodded as if in agreement but his words were not, "Or maybe he didn't want to tell you because he didn't want you to think he was on the rebound. We all know how those relationships end."

"You say it like every relationship is doomed to end," Elena replied, a tone of pity in her voice.

"I'm a fatalist," he shrugged.

At the same time Addie sneered, "They do. It's reality, Elena. Let's go. You'll see Stefan tomorrow."

Addie, though several inches shorter than Elena was quite a lot stronger and knew exactly where to grab her to lead her out of the creepy Salvatore house. She could feel Damon's eyes on them as they retreated.

* * *

"He's on the rebound," Elena worried to Aunt Jenna about Stefan, not wanting to just be a step in until he was actually ready for someone.

"Plus, I think he has some raging family issues," Addie put in, leaning against the counter, watching Elena set the table.

Elena's head snapped towards her little sister, "Why would you say such a thing?"

 _First his brother tried to kill me and now Mr. Perfect is obviously too mysterious and hiding something_.

"Well, neither one has ever mentioned the other," she came up with on the spot, trying to cover up her true thoughts.

"Yeah, back to that, how do you know Damon?" Elena asked skeptically. "He's a little old for you, don't you think?"

Addie literally gagged on the water she was drinking, sputtering and coughing. "Gross! And he's most definitely a little too old for me. Don't even think I look at him like that."

"Ooooooh," sang Jenna at Addie, waving a wooden spoon at her, "someone sounds too defensive."

"He's old, like in his 20's old. You want me crushing on a guy that old, Jenna?" Addie rolled her deep ocean blue eyes; it felt like she was doing that more and more these days. Either her tolerance was lowering or people were stupider or more annoying.

Jenna's mouth dropped open indignantly, "Being in your twenties does not make you old. But that does make him too old for you! No one old enough to drink you!"

Addie shrugged, "Agreed. Not like I'm interested in anyone or vice versa or like I would bother with a relationship. No dating for me. You gotta worry about Elena and her boy toy."

"He's not a boy toy!" Elena snapped at her sister. "You never answered where you met him."

"I met him while I was out on a run this summer." Technically it was true. They didn't need to know that he had tried to kill her.

Elena looked frustrated at her sister, "So, some random guy just stops you on your run and you happen to chat him up?" Addie was supposed to be the smart one with street smarts.

"I didn't chat him up and he didn't exactly stop me," Addie grumbled back defensively. Her voice grew stronger as she continued on, "He was hurt. His head was bleeding. He was out in the rain in a muddy tracksuit. I'm sorry if I'm my father's daughter and I care about others. He had a little bit of amnesia. He wasn't quite sure where he was. Damon just remembered he was out running, most likely he slipped and fell really hard. Seemed like he had a concussion and some scrapes and bruises. I waited with him until the ambulance came."

Jenna looked at her with a softening expression, "Is that where you were when you came home drenched so late at night that time? When I grounded you for a week?" Addie nodded. "Why didn't you just tell me that instead of storming off into your room?"

"Because it didn't really matter and I really didn't care. Ground to my room where I have a plethora of books that can take me to magical lands where I didn't have to deal with anything I was facing this summer? That was a nightmare," Addie shuddered sarcastically, plopping down at her seat at the dinner table. She just wanted the Damon subject to drop. So she turned the table back to the usual center of the universe, her sister. "Basically, Stefan is on the rebound and has raging family issues. A soap opera waiting to unfold. Just walk away, Elena."

Jenna, of course not knowing or sensing what Addie did about the Salvatore brothers, countered her point, "Well, at least it's an ex-girlfriend. Wait till you date a guy with mommy issues or cheating issues. Or amphetamine issues."

"Amphetamine issues might be fun as long as they weren't too extreme," Addie mused aloud. "Speed sounds like it would provide for entertaining stories. Or good grades at the very least."

"No! No drugs! I already have one troubled teen," Jenna snapped at her as if she was being a bad dog. Jenna perked at the sound of the door opening and closing, before she ran around to the front of the house, catching the sight of her nephew and calling out for him. "Jeremy? Jeremy, where were you?"

"Out."

Addie could hear the annoyance and absence of personality in her brother's voice. He was baked and she couldn't face him like that. She shut out whatever Jenna and Jeremy were saying, not wanting to remember her brother this way. She idolized him but not like this.

* * *

Addie was flaming furious with her brother. She had seen Jeremy hand over a bottle of pills to Vickie Donovan. The only thing that had stopped her from going over there and ripping a new one into Jeremy was the shock that it was Elena's old pills from the car accident that he was giving the skank. She wasn't sure if this made her furious at him for having the gall to steal from his sister or if she found a slight sense of comfort in that he wasn't passing out pills from a dealer. Maybe now that all of Elena's pills were gone it would just be down to the alcohol and pot.

With more force than necessary, the trifold she was using popped open, and piece by piece Addie put together the extremely powerful telescope. It had been a struggle to lug the heavy thing to the middle of the town square, though Elena had been nice enough to give her a ride to the square. She could feel that she was twisting every bolt and knob into place at least one turn too far and it would be a pain to take apart but focusing on exerting her physical energy that way kept her from going back to the Grill and smacking Jeremy in the back of his head with the hope to knock some sense into him.

"Ad," a voice called. Reflexively, her hands tightened around the eyepiece of the telescope.

"What do you want, Jeremy? I'm kind of busy," Addie snapped at her brother, still pissed at the way he had been acting since their parents' death. She knew this wasn't good for him but it wasn't like he would listen to anyone.

"Have you seen Vickie?" he asked, his tone genuinely worried.

Addie gritted her teeth, "Nope."

"Well, nobody can find her! She's missing," hysteria crept into his voice.

At least he cared about something, it seemed; she just really wished it wasn't Vickie. He must have taken some of the pills before giving them to Vickie; they tended to make him a little dramatic.

"Yes. She's missing. She was abducted by a flying saucer in the middle of town square and nobody saw a thing," Addie mocked, realizing she had no sympathy for the drug induced state that he put himself in. "She probably took too many of those pills you stole from Elena and is passed out somewhere. Just so you know, if she overdoses or dies choking on her own vomit, part of that is on you Jeremy. You gave her the pills. Get your shit together and start fucking thinking before you act."

"You know what," Jeremy said, staring at his sister as if this was the first time he really saw her, "fuck you, Addison."

Addie looked at her brother's retreating back as wander off into the small group of people who had already gathered for the comet, presumably still asking about Vickie. Jeremy had never spoken to her like that but, of course, she had never spoken to him like that. She knew that whatever happened to Vickie was her own fault. Still, Jeremy shouldn't have given her the drugs but that didn't give Addie the right to speak to him the way she had. He deserved some kind of apology. She'd give it to him if she ever came across him sober.

She started scanning the horizon, knowing it would be from there first that the comet would appear. Addie stopped when she thought she saw movement on top of a building. Adjusting the finderscope and eyepiece along with tilting the scope, Addie was able to gain a better view of the building.

Right on the ledge of a rooftop was Damon Salvatore and Vickie Donovan, with the girl looking as frighten as Addie must have when she felt Damon's hand clenching around her throat. Vickie almost stumbled backwards or was that Damon threatening to push her off the roof? It was hard to tell with his hand wrapped around her bicep and that deceivingly charming smile plastered to his face. She guessed he was tormenting her as he placed a hand over her mouth.

Addie's heart skipped a beat in shock as Stefan suddenly came into view, as if from nowhere. There was no door for rooftop access and she hadn't seen him climb up a fire escape. How did any of them get up there, really?

Stefan said something that made Damon look over his shoulder and start to tug Vickie off the building even more. Was she really going to witness this girl's death? She didn't like her but nobody deserved to be treated the way she was being tortured. Damon, thankfully, seemed to change his mind as Stefan took a stance as if approaching a wounded, angry bear. She could make out his lips forming the word 'no' a couple of times.

Damon tossed Vickie further onto the roof, Stefan catching her before she could hit the ground. What were these two playing at?

Addie knew Damon was fucked up the second he tried to kill her and she never had trusted Stefan. Yet, Damon hadn't killed Addie; he allowed her to beat him up. It wasn't that he didn't have the potential or strength to kill her though. Maybe he just didn't have the nerve to actually kill someone? Maybe that was why he had pushed Vickie back on the roof. She didn't know if Stefan was there to join in on the fun his brother was having, but it had looked like he was trying to stop Damon. Though, Addie highly doubted Damon did anything he didn't want to do.

Now Damon was talking to a crying Vickie, who sat on the rooftop, using her hands to push herself up. His hands were on his knees and he was slightly hunched over, as if to connect with her more. Two things came to Addie's mind: first, she finally understood what people meant when they said someone had a nice ass and secondly, she really wished she was better at reading lips. Damon helped Vickie back to her feet. Addie cursed that their back was to her but when she was getting up she saw sheer terror on Vickie's face. She felt a small sense of satisfaction when Damon turned so Addie could see his face fully. He grabbed both sides of Vickie's head and had a concentrated look on his face as he said something to her.

Stefan said something to Damon and the elder brother seemed to give a small shrug. Addie gave out a gasp when she saw the bandage covering Vickie's still fresh stitches in his hand. He seemed to sling her away from himself and into Stefan's arms, throwing the white crumpled cloth at them. What the hell kind of freak show was she watching? Damon seemed to be giving a grand speech, his face broken into a maniacal grin whenever Addie could catch a glimpse of it.

She pressed her eye harder into the telescope, blocking out the pain on her eyeball. Maybe if she got closer to the lens she could see more clearly. Addie was certain she saw dark veins radiate out all under Stefan's eyes and a few up near his temple.

"What the holy fucking hell was that shit?" Addie mumbled, as the veins quickly disappeared.

Not two seconds later, Stefan tossed Vickie to the floor like a rag doll. He was hunched over as Damon had been earlier before though this time it seemed like Stefan was fighting for breath. His brother walked over to him. After a moment, Stefan stood back up and she could see that he was angry; that whatever was going on, he and Damon were fighting.

Damon looked back and forth between Vickie and Stefan a few times before walking over to the girl. He crouched down next to her and whispered something in his ear. He stood up and held his hands out and gestured; it a sign of truce or victory, she had used it many times with Jeremy when fighting over the last piece of pizza or what to watch.

A few words were exchanged before Vickie got up, looking fine, high, but fine and went staggering through the rooftop entrance. She watched Damon and Stefan talk for a few moments before Damon wandered to the side of the building. Addie took a step back in shock as she watched Damon jump off the ledge, into the alley between two buildings. Did he have some kind of death wish?

Addie sucked in a deep breath when she saw Damon walk out between the buildings. He looked around and quickly she tried to look away but it was too late. Damon strolled over towards her and within a matter of minutes he stood right in front of her in the middle of the town square.

"Addison, two times in as many days. The comet must be bringing me luck," he grinned a half smile, shoving his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.

"Hmm. My friend is convinced it's a harbinger of doom and destruction. I'm not superstitious, really," Addie's eyes darted to the rooftop Damon had just occupied and tortured on, "but I'm beginning to think that she might be right. You, two times in as many days."

Damon had caught the blue eyes flash away and had seen her watching him come from the alleyway. He'd bet the telescope was positioned so you could clearly see the rooftop.

"Hmm," Damon mimicked, pretending to muse as well, "I'd say being superstitious is like trusting the weather man."

Addie's lips quirked as she thought of a song lyric, "I find putting faith in the weather will leave you soaked in rain."

"Not if you carry an umbrella," Damon shrugged.

Addie was pretty certain they were both talking about him, until this point. "What kind of umbrella protects someone like me from someone like you, Damon? You have the power and obviously the mentality to kill me; we both know that."

"Yet, you're here standing," he pointed out.

Addie's eyes narrowed, "And I'm wise enough to get that the only reason I am is because you permit me to."

"True," Damon nodded.

"So, again I ask, how do I find protection from someone like you?" Addie challenged, beginning to get annoyed.

Damon grinned, "First, I recommend not crossing me. Second, you're a smart kid, Addison, but I've watched you. You'll have to think outside what you think you know to be protected from me. I'd suggest you do it fast. I have a bit of a temper and seeing as you smashed my face in, over and over again, well, you could easily be on my radar."

"Is that a threat?" Addie snarled.

"No," he said, a troubled look on his face, "for once, it's not. It's just honest advice."


	3. Chapter 3

Bonnie shut the car door behind her and turned to look at Elena, who had exited the passenger side, "I'm not saying don't date the guy. I'm just saying take it slow."

"Really?" huffed Addie, pulling her backpack out of the backseat. Despite weighing a ton she still slung it over only her right shoulder, a trait she had picked up from Jeremy. "I'm saying run 100 meters when the guy comes within a five meter radius."

Elena scoffed looking over her shoulder at her sister, "You know, just because you have been kicking ass in track meets since elementary school doesn't mean that everyone has your passion for running." She began to walk forward before pausing for a moment to give another quip to her sister, "And most normal people can't judge a five meter radius with the eye. That's only your weird, logical brain."

Addie ignored the jibes from her sister; she could insult her into the next millennium if it meant she would stay away from Stefan Salvatore. With a few brisk strides she had reached Bonnie and Elena, who had gotten a few feet in front of her.

"You were the one who said go for it," Elena said accusatory at Bonnie, pointing her finger at her.

"Now, I'm saying take it slow," Bonnie simply smiled.

"Why the about face?" Elena asked, almost pouting.

"Does it matter, Elena?" Addie observed. "Have you seen the guy? He obviously spends wayyyyy too much time on his hair. Like, even more time than you, Bonnie, and Caroline combined. Doesn't that seem a little too self-obsessed? And honestly, I think he wears like foundation or concealer or whatever you call it to have such a perfect and even skin tone. Never seen a guy with perfect skin like that. Plus, have you noticed how his head is kind of rectangular and big? Completely throws everything off."

"Seriously, Addie? You're being as shallow as looks?" Elena judged. "Besides, I don't spend that long on my hair."

"Longer than I do," Addie murmured, before tugging the hair tie off her wrist and putting her hair up into a quick ponytail. "There, done for the day and didn't even have to stop walking."

Elena's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "It's messy."

"Messy goes with the faded AC/DC shirt, torn jeans, and converse. It's my style of the day," Addie grinned, glad that she had been able to poke at her sister, even if it wasn't exactly in the way she wanted. "Bonnie, you might want to switch her Haterade to Gatorade before practice, otherwise she'll just keep being snarky."

Elena was about to undoubtedly throw stronger words at Addie so Bonnie quickly swooped in, getting them back to the topic at hand. "It isn't an about face, Elena. You're single for the first time in your entire high school career. It's the perfect time to play the field."

Elena faked a laugh of sudden enlightenment, "Oh because I'm so that type of girl." Then she turned to look at her friend frankly, "Seriously, what are you not saying to me?"

Addie listened to the girls go back and forth, not paying much attention and they had pretty much stopped walking.

"It's stupid."

"Bonnie…"

"What?"

"Spit it out."

"I accidentally touched Stefan and I got a really bad feeling."

This news drew Addie back into the conversation. So, she wasn't the only one getting bad vibes from the younger Salvatore. If the gut instinct of two people said he was bad… well, that carried more weight than just her own instinct.

"Is that it? Bonnie," Elena sighed, sounding a little annoyed, reached out and grabbed Bonnie's arm to stop her from walking away.

"It was bad bad," persisted Bonnie.

"Is this the whole witch mojo thing again?" Elena asked skeptically.

Addie could tell Bonnie was lying by avoiding directly answering the question.

"You know what? I'm just concerned. This is me expressing concern about my best friend's new boyfriend."

Elan was always going to give a speech or lecture when she grabbed someone by the shoulders like she did Bonnie. Wanting to spare her friend and convince her sister that Stefan Salvatore was not to be trusted, Addie spoke up.

"It's not just Bonnie. I get a bad feeling about him, too, Elena. I know he seems really nice but I get this horrible wrenching feeling in my gut that something isn't right. I-I," Addie's voice faltered a bit as she couldn't believe she was confessing all this, "I get scared that every time I see you leave somewhere with him, that's going to be the last time I see you, Elena. I can't live with that, not after mom and dad died. Not after those moments I thought I lost you, too!"

Elena looked at her sister her dark blue eyes glistened. She hadn't seen Addie even close to tears when their parents died. Jeremy said she cried for at first, while Elena was still unconscious, but that had been all. Her heart ached for Addie. Maybe she wasn't as tough as she seemed. Maybe this had affected her more than she let on and she should have been there more for her little sister; she was still just a kid. 

"Look, I love you both for your concern, I do. But I feel good! It's been a hard year and I'm starting to kind of feel like things are getting back to normal again. And you know what? Like it or not, Stefan is a big part of that. Learn to live with it, Addie."

With that, Elena resumed walking. Bonnie and Addie both looked to the other to see if the other was going to follow. Bonnie gave a small shrug. Addie walked to the other side of Bonnie and linked arms with her; this way, she wouldn't have to walk next to Elena. In a few strides they caught up to Elena. The small group continued walking in silence.

Caught in surprise by a figure practically cutting their pathway off, Addie tightened her link with Bonnie's arm, keeping her from bumping into Stefan Salvatore.

"Good morning, Elena. Good morning, Bonnie. Addie," he smiled, with a friendly tilt of his head. His hair was filled with so much product, not a strand moved with the head bob.

"Hey, um, we gotta find Caroline. She's not answering her phone. So, I'll see you guys later," Bonnie spoke for both her and Addie to Elena, leading them off in a path that cut between the pair.

When they were out of earshot. Addie stopped Bonnie. She didn't believe in the insane theory that Bonnie was a witch; laws of science made that impossible. Physics and chemistry and probably even biology denied all ideas of witchcraft. Yet, Bonnie believed she was psychic and had visions. Honestly, Addie wasn't buying it. If there wasn't sound logic and evidence to back something up, it was chalked up as simply impossible. 

"Bonnie, tell me. Tell me what kind of feeling you got when you touched Stefan," Addie pleaded, seeing the doubtful look in her friend's brown eyes.

Pursing her lips into a thin line for a moment, Bonnie finally responded.

"Death. He felt like what I would image death to feel like."

"You explain it," Bonnie challenge, in the Gilbert kitchen. "Last night, I'm watching Nine-o, a commercial break comes on and I'm like, I bet it's that phone commercial! And sure enough, it's the guy and the girl with the beach. He flies to Paris and he flies back. They take a picture."

"The truth is, Bonnie, that I can read minds. I knew what you were thinking and I called up the cable company and asked them to put that commercial on," Addie grinned, her tone completely serious. She was perched on the counter top, watching Elena and Bonnie trying to make takeaway look homemade.

Bonnie rolled her eyes at the younger girl and flung a piece of lettuce at her. Addie seriously thought this was all a joke but it was starting to freak Bonnie out. It was all just a matter of coincidences, though. 

"Oh, come on," sighed Elena, opening one of the dishes from the Italian restaurant. "That commercial is on a constant loop!"

Bonnie was ready with a counter argument, "Fine. Well, how about this? Today I'm obsessed with numbers, three numbers. I keep seeing 8, 14 and 22. How weird is that?"

"That is very weird and very concerning," Addie butted in, her tone still serious, though now she was stroking her chin like she was deep in thought. "We need to stop this obsession before it turns into a full blown case of obsessive compulsive disorder."

"I don't feel the need to do anything; I just keep seeing the numbers," emphasized Bonnie.

Addie nodded her head as if she knew Bonnie was going to say that. Her tone was much darker now, "Of course. That's how it always starts. Then the compulsion begins. We need to break the cycle."

"Addie, you're a mental case," Elena retorted, hoping to shut her sister up. She could be so annoying at times.

Addie reflected on the therapy that Jenna had forced on her after her parents' death after Elena suggested it; her sister always knew how to strike a killing blow. "I suppose you would know if I am one. Makes all the more sense that I would know what's coming, obviously. I know the warning signs as you travel down to Wonderland."

"Have you talked to your grams about the premonitions and the obsessions with numbers?" Elena asked, pointedly ignoring her sister. Again with the annoying, unhelpful commentary.

"She's just going to say it's because I'm a witch," Bonnie cringed, her face distorting with a hint of fear. "I don't want to be a witch. Do you want to be a witch?"

"I don't want to be a witch," Elena said quickly.

"I'd totally want to be a witch," Addie smirked, using her hands to launch herself off the counter. "Have you heard of Hermione Granger? The Wicked Witch of the West? Sabrina the Teenage Witch? Total badasses. Maybe not so much Sabrina but you get my point. And putting Lorenzo's into our bowls isn't convincing anyone that you can actually cook, Elena."

Looking at the clock on the stove, Addie saw it was two minutes to 7:00 and she was betting Stefan was a guy who arrived right on time. She did not want to be here for this dinner and it was her house; just because Elena said she was attending didn't mean she actually had to do anything. She had control of her life, not Elena. She started heading for the stairs before stopping at the kitchen entrance, hearing Bonnie and Elena discuss serving spoons.

"Be a witch, Bonnie. Embrace the power within! Harness your energy to save or destroy the world! But if you're going to be an evil witch, I will totally follow any orders from you. I respect your power and don't want to be vaporized. Anyways, my mind reading powers tell me Stefan will be here in less than two minutes so I'm gonna go upstairs," Addie grinned, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

"You have to stay!" Elena balked, her eyes growing big.

Addie shook her head and childishly stuck her tongue out. "I don't have to do anything you say, Elena. You're my older sister; and as much as you might like to be, you are not my prison warden."

Taking the stairs two at a time, Addie happily bounced to Jeremy's room. She wanted to apologize about what she had said concerning him being responsible for Vickie's possible death the night of the comet since it would be because of the drugs he gave her. Addie hated having not talked to her brother for what felt like a century and she couldn't take it anymore. Besides, if Vickie had died that night, it would have been because of Damon Salvatore and possibly his brother. Jeremy couldn't have done anything to stop it.

She raked a hand through her hair, making her chuckle as she noticed the nervous habit she shared with her brother. This reminded her of how close they once were and made her decision on whether to knock or to barge in like she used to. Addie and Jeremy never knocked on each other's door before the accident, before the drinking and the drugs, before she would run in the rain instead of crying in her brother's arms. She wanted to get back to that state as soon as possible.

With that idea in mind, Addie strolled into the room as if there was nothing wrong. Jeremy was at his computer, a game controller in his hands and a set of giant Turtle Beach headphones on. Addie knocked the left ear muff off of Jeremy's head, not wanting to completely disrupt him if he was working on an online campaign mission and needed to hear other people. Her brother obviously was not at a stopping point because he continued to play, completely ignoring her. Figuring she wasn't going anywhere until he acknowledged her, she made herself comfortable leaning back on his pillows and resting her head on the wall.

"That's fucked up, Addison," Jeremy gritted out after about ten minutes. The headphones were now draped around his neck and the computer screen displayed the word "PAUSE".

"Hey," Addie raised her hands in an innocent, defensive gesture, "I'm the nice one in the house. Elena or Jenna would have taken off your headphones entirely. I completely respect the importance of being able to hear others in online game play."

"What do you want," he clipped back, swiveling his chair slightly to look at her, "because I have nothing to say to you."

Addie ran her fingers through her hair again nervously. They sat there in the awkward silence for several minutes as she tried to think of the words she wanted to say. No matter how hard she worked it out in her mind, she didn't think she would be able to get out the word "apologize" or "sorry" because, while she regretted how she said what she said, the anger and hurt that fueled those words were still there and he still hadn't changed anything.

"I don't expect you to. Not after what I said. Jer, that night, those words, they weren't fair to you. You have no idea how much it kills me to see the person I idolized handing out narcotics and being so baked or boozed up all the time that he isn't even the brother I recognized."

Jeremy's face had gone bright red and he was about to speak up when Addie held up a hand and continued to talk. Her eyes were already watering and she didn't need him making her cry. "I know it's how you're handling everything. You become the troubled, rebellious teen and I went from the moody girl to practically being obviously suicidal. We're not Saint fucking Elena. We never have been and we never will be. We were the ones who gave Mom and Dad heartache and grief and trouble. We pulled our pranks and got in trouble. You fought with them over school. And my moods, well, there aren't even words to cover what my .... -," she waved her hand around her head, unable to find the right word for her set of issues, "did to them. The thing was, we always had each other's back. You'd be there for me when I crashed. When you got over worked in school, I covered for you. I miss my brother. I can't tell you what to do but you're headed nowhere good. Take control of your own life."

Hearing the doorbell ring, Addie left her brother speechless.

Sometimes, Addie really loved how she could be practically invisible to everyone. From the top of the stairs she saw Caroline Forbes and Damon Salvatore show up with dessert.

 _Well, that's the perfect super-villain couple: the most physically aggressive person and the most passive aggressive person I've have ever met. Cross them and you'll be mind raped and spine snapped._

An involuntary chill ran through her at the thought.

It was interesting to see how intent Stefan was on Damon leaving and the strained looked on his face when Elena invited Damon in. Damon almost looked triumphant; there was something very sinister in that smile that seemed to charm everyone. Then again, everyone else hadn't almost been killed by him.

It was highly amusing listening to Caroline rag on her sister. The girl completely lacked tact. It grew alarming when Damon seem to take an interest in Elena. She already had one Salvatore to worry about; she didn't need another.

Addie couldn't resist going down the stairs to the boys when Damon got Caroline to help do dishes. Something was off. Princess Caroline Forbes did not do anything in the kitchen.

"They are people, Damon. She is not a puppet! She doesn't exist for your amusement," Stefan was sharply and quietly saying to his brother.

"Well, I don't know about that," Addie interrupted, jumping off the last step. "Caroline has unwittingly proven to be very useful in my scheming, much to my amusement. Admittedly she doesn't jump when I say 'jump' or shall I say 'go see if Elena needs help in the kitchen' but if you whisper something in her ear and tell her not to tell, she will spit it right back out to anyone she see. Some people think that makes her a gossips but I find she is quite like a Parrot that you don't need to work at training."

Damon's icy eyes narrowed as he watched Addie calmly walk and sit on the couch while Stefan's hazel-green eyes were wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"So you'd agree that I can use her for my amusements then, right, Addie?" Damon said, a smug look on his face.

She mused over this for a second. Addie knew Damon was off his rocker and that killing her would have probably fallen into his realm of amusement. Not to mention there was that vibe from him and Stefan that told her they could do whatever the hell they wanted and get away with it. She didn't like that.

The next line out of her mouth was probably the most dangerous thing she would ever say, "No, you can't. See, as my friend, she's _my_ plaything and I don't like my toys being broken. I imagine you're just the kind of guy who breaks everything he touches. Now, as you're new in town, I realize I'm supposed to be welcoming, but," Addie shrugged as she shook her head in feigned helplessness, "I can't help but get really nasty when my toys break."

Damon slid from the arm of the chair that he was resting on into the actual seat, "Addison, is that a threat?"

"It's just honest advice," Addie replied simply, echoing back the words he told her when he warned her about getting on his bad side.

Stefan was staring at Damon like he was a vicious, man eating lion just released into the Colosseum to hunt down a man in the small stadium.

"We both know you're just for my amusement, too, Ads. You and everybody else are whatever I want you to be," he grinned but his eyes spoke for him. Whoever he wanted dead would be dead.

Addie nodded slowly, making eye contact with him. She dreaded looking someone in the eye but she wanted Damon to know that she understood him and he better understand her. "If you intend on _playing_ with any of my family or friends, you're going to have to _play_ with me first. I get really jealous."

He batted his long eyelashes at her and put on a fake voice of glee, "Why, my little Ads, you flatter me! Offering your head up to me on a silver platter; that so sweet."

"Don't kid yourself," she spat. "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

He scooted to the edge of his seat, leaning forwards towards her, "You wouldn't even know where to begin. You wouldn't stand a chance, kid."

Mirroring his body language, her voice turned darker and sinister as she reflected on what she knew about him. "I know what happened that night in the rain. Your healing, your strength. I saw you up on that inaccessible rooftop with Vickie Donovan. I know she has no idea that she was ever there. I'm pretty sure I know how you got her up there and how Stefan got her off-" Stefan gave a sharp inhale. "I saw you come here today. I don't care as long as my friends and family are alive and well. It's none of my business and so I mind my own business. But know this, I know, Damon Salvatore. I know.

Addie honestly had no clue what the hell she was going on about but she knew there was something _off_ about the Salvatore's brother. The reaction of Stefan and the widening, narrowing, and normalizing of Damon's eyes told her she might not know exactly what they were hiding, but she was on to it. She had enough information to start putting together the pieces. 

He nodded once, his ace impassive. "Truce. Until I have to kill one of your friends or family because somebody always does something stupid. Then you're more than welcome to a fair fight."

* * *

Addie leaned dramatically to her right, turning her Xbox controller with her so that it made a 60 degree angle with the floor. Her left thumb was jammed hard on the joystick that controlled the directions of 2007 Sparkling Plum Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra that she had been racking up in-game money to customize. Her brother, leaning back comfortably in the overstuffed sofa, let his eyes quickly flicker to her before focusing back on the 2005 Red Mercedes-Benz SLR that he controlled. He really wanted to brag about how his had much better handling and acceleration but that was only because he spent more time playing than Addie did. Racing games were Addie's domain since they would challenge each other back in the first grade at the old arcade machines were they alternated between seeing above the steering wheel and reaching the pedal. Bragging wouldn't be the best idea, considering this was the first time they were kind of having a bonding moment like old times. However, when things were back to normal, he was definitely going to rub his cars superiority in her face. It was the only thing that was keeping him just barely ahead of her.

"You know that turning your body and the controller doesn't actually turn the car?" Jeremy grinned, easily drifting around the streets of New York City.

"It doesn't hurt," Addie gritted out, "unlike your crashing into lamppost. They're big lit up things that are not on the road. It should be obvious to stay away from them."

"Meow," Jeremy jokingly purred. "Addison has claws."

"It was just some helpful advice," Addie smugly gleamed as she passed Jeremy as he was working on getting back up to speed after hitting another light post. In a matter of moments, her second class car crossed the finish line in first place.

Jeremy drove his car over the line before flipping the channel to Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. "Friendly advice isn't said like a grumpy cat. Anyways, it's time for more pizza."

Addie was going to argue that she did not sound like a grumpy cat but really it hadn't been a friendly piece of advice at all and had been her being snarky. She knew she could be quite feisty when it came to games.

"No pizza for you, Jer. You finished yours," Addie said, swatting at his hand as he reached for the pizza box and giving him a look as if she couldn't believe he was being so oblivious. She opened the box and pulled out a piece of extra cheese, very little sauce and sat back, munching on the large slice as she realized Family Guy was on. One of the many things she loved about Jeremy was that he didn't care if she used a plate or paper towel or napkin because he sure as hell wasn't.

Elena would have demanded it be put on a plate first where it would rest just until she could move the plate into her lap and then the pizza would never touch the plate again. Why dirty a dish just for that? This was soft and doughy pizza and it wasn't overly greasy so it wasn't like there was a concern about crumbs or grease stains. And the controllers were hers and Jeremy's; if they were fine with wiping their hands on their pants and then getting a tiny bit of grease on the controllers, that was their business. They'd clean them eventually. So it wasn't the most hygienic thing in the world but it's not like either one of them got sick from it.

"Seriously, Addie? You have two slices left!" Jeremy pouted, pointing to each one in the box his sister had left open, taunting him. He had finished his pineapple and pepperoni about an hour ago.

Addie nodded slowly, "Yeah, I'm going to eat one after this slice and then cold pizza is for breakfast tomorrow morning." She could see her brother's face drop. Although she really did want another piece and then cold pizza in the morning, she wasn't mean enough to eat in front of someone who wanted some of what she had. She didn't need another piece. But she was not giving up that cold slice of pizza in the morning; that was one of the best things ever and she was selfish enough to not share that.

"Jeremy," she said slowly and patiently as if trying to explain something to a two-year-old, "do you honestly think I'm serious? I may be a bitch but I'm not that much of a bitch. You're confusing your sisters. Have a slice!"

Both siblings' faces broke out into identical smiles at the same time; wide, toothy, and a dimple just under the left eye.

"Dude, I totally love you," Jeremy grinned around a mouth stuffed full of pizza.

Addie felt warm, glowing sensation inside; she'd never been so happy to see partially chewed up food inside her brother's mouth. Maybe he would be alright. Maybe they would be alright.

That warm feeling quickly simmered out as the front door was opened and in walked Elena. Addie could see the exhausted and slightly pissed off look in her dark brown eyes. Addie had totally won the gene pool lottery with her eyes the color of the ocean way out at sea, in her humble opinion. Seeing that anger simmering just under Elena's surface, Addie couldn't help but poke at her. She needed to be not so damn perfect.

"Well don't you look all pur-ty in that shimmery, clingy, cloth that passes for clothes these days," chirped Addie in an old woman's voice with a hint of a southern drawl. Really, the gown wasn't that bad except for the fact that she was relying on an almost non-existent chest to hold it up; though Addie did find all the brightness and shimmering of the fabric kind of gaudy. Definitely not something you'd catch her in. Of course the only way she'd be wearing a dress was if someone put it on her corpse.

"Leave me alone, Addison," barked Elena stalking up the stairs and slamming the door to her room.

Oh, this was too easy.

"I hear 'Follow me, Addison,'" mimicked Addie in a much cheerier voice. She waggled her eyebrows at Jeremy mischievously but he was too focused on Family Guy. Taking his lack of interest in her as her permission to be dismissed, Addie crept up the stairs just a few minutes after Elena.

Addie knew Bonnie and Elena had done some juicy gossiping while getting ready for the Founder's Day party but Addie had really preferred to get her evening started with Jeremy; they had just order pizza and picked Marvel vs DC as their first game. However, Addie was dying to know what Bonnie had said because the way her lips were drawn into a thin line when she left told Addie it was something she really wanted to know.

Running water echoed slightly in the hall. Maybe it would be best to start their conversation off on neutral territory if she wanted information rather than to simply piss off Elena. Addie unlocked her door and turned into her room and took a quick appreciative look at the black walls splatter painted with neon colors. That was perhaps the only cool thing about Jenna; she totally bought the idea that repainting her room would help her move on after the accident. Of course, Jenna had thought she had meant going from white to something bright and cheery, like a light pink and not, as Elena called it, soul crushing black. The neon colors were bright, as Addie had quickly pointed out; it wasn't like she was turning her room into a dungeon, even if the party light bulbs she had put in her ceiling fan gave it a dark glow.

Twisting the knob to the bathroom she shared with Elena, she gently pushed the door open and found her sister vigorously scrubbing at her face, particularly her eyes, with a washcloth.

"You've been getting ready for this party since five and it's past one in the morning; you've dedicated eight hours of your life to a miserable party for a bunch of stuffy old people. Plus, think of all the hard work that went into your hair and makeup and all for what? Just so you could spend ten minutes trying to clean your face? This is exactly why I don't understand being fancy," sighed Addie, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

Elena scrubbed at her face for a few more minutes before finally deciding it was clean.

"For once," Elena scoffed, heading into her bedroom and into her closet as Addie could see from the reflective mirror, "you just might have a point. Tonight was a complete disaster thanks to the one and thankfully only Damon Salvatore."

"Ugh. I don't like that guy. I don't trust him," Addie said, knowing she sounded like a petulant five-year-old. "I don't want you around him or his brother."

Elena emerged from her closet and plopped down across from her as she had somehow made her way to Elena's bed.

"Do not be around him, Addie. He is dangerous. Promise me you'll have nothing to do with him," Elena instructed, her eyes turning into wide saucers.

That definitely caught her off guard; Elena never went into "overprotective-sister" mode on her, Jeremy perhaps, but not Addie. Her warning and Addie's memories of him almost killing her almost immediately made her blood start to boil.

"What did he do to you?" Addie ask sternly, ready to grab Jeremy's baseball bat and march over to the Salvatore boarding house.

"It's not what he did to me; it's what he's doing to Caroline," snapped her sister, her voice rising.

Huh? What did the overly caffeinated blonde have to do with this? Was he actually stupid enough to kill the girl he was dating? No, Elena had said doing, current tense.

"Ok, I got a mile long list on the guy but you start from the beginning, I get he's seeing Caroline. Caught that at the dinner party the other night. Catch me up," Addie bossed Elena, needing her facts straight.

Elena took a deep breath in an attempt to calm down. "Damon's been brainwashing Caroline."

"Can't say I haven't done that," Addie admitted under her breath, remembering the time she had the blond convinced into eating dog treats that looked like beef jerky because they would make her lose weight within a week so she could fit into another school dance costume. It was mean, Addie knew, but the girl was just so… gullible. 

Elena continued on, too distracted to be mad at Addie's past deeds, "He's telling her this story. You remember the Katherine Damon mentioned?"

"No, I tend to ignore everything that guy says," Addie casually remarked, leaning back against her palms.

"You remember everything," Elena countered dismissively. "Well at dinner Damon brings up how he and Stefan both loss Katherine. Apparently they both dated her. When I asked Damon who dated her first he said his answer would differ from Stefan's. Either one secretly dated the other first or there was some cheating involved, I figured. Damon never gives a straight answer, it seems."

"Neither does Stefan," Addie couldn't help but mumble during Elena's one-breath rant. It, like her other comment, went ignored. Addie had a feeling she was being used as Elena's diary as her hand would really cramp up if she had to write all this out. Elena always added in so many unneeded words and details. Addie was guilty of it too but she didn't annoy herself.

"Bonnie told me that Caroline told her that Damon said Stefan has major issues over Katherine, meaning she's completely convinced," Elena scoffed. When she saw Addie's complete lack of interest, Elena slapped her hand with emphasis. "Are you not getting this?"

They both had major issues from what Addie had seen and had warned Elena against them many-a times. Of course she got it. "I'm still kind of reeling over the fact that you just told me a he-said-she-said-they-said. So, what are these major issues?"

"According to Damon," Elena rolled her eyes, stressing this as if she couldn't believe it but the twitch at the corner of her lips was a giveaway that she didn't know fact from fiction right now, "Katherine picked Damon over Stefan. According to Damon, yet again, that drove Stefan to do all these horrible things to try and break them apart. Damon says he manipulated Katherine by filling her head with all these lies until it worked, and she turned against Damon and wanted Stefan again. Of course, Damon is the calculating, manipulative one," Elena snapped.

"That's a shocker," boredom laced Addie's words. Was any of this really unexpected considering what she has seen from Damon and Stefan? The only concrete evidence she had on Stefan was the night on the roof with Vickie but that was weird enough to be qualified as twisted in her opinion. She wasn't about to reveal that to Elena though, because, well, she hadn't really figured it out herself yet. Lord knew how many time she tried to convince Elena not to see Stefan. She highly doubted butting in now while she was on a pro-Stefan/anti-Damon rant would change her mind on seeing the boy.

Elena held up a finger as if to warn Addie, "It gets worse. Damon tried to kiss me the other night; the night Tanner was killed. Tonight he apologizes for 'acting out'" she said with actual air quotes. "His therapist blames his behavior on the fact that he is punishing Stefan for old sibling rivalry."

Addie couldn't help but scoff, which turned into a snort, then turned into a full laugh, "Like Damon Salvatore sees a therapist. I mean he needs one if anyone does but I don't think he's the touchy feely type that's going to bare his soul to a therapist."

"Oh, it's not all Damon's fault," Elena mocked in a fake, innocent voice as if defending Damon. "Apparently they're cursed to have this sibling rivalry dating all the way back to the original Damon and Stefan Salvatore who signed the original Founding Declaration guest list. Of course the original brothers died over a woman, probably one they were competing for. He can't control that he and Stefan must battle for everything."

Then Addie saw Elena's shoulders curl and her head drop. Her voice lowered and shook a little as she continued her story, "I told him I'm not Katherine and I wasn't going to get caught up in this thing between them." She chewed on her lip nervously for a moment, "Then I danced with Stefan and I kind of did get into the middle of it. Stefan is this mystery guy with this Katherine secret and I hardly know anything about him but he knows all about my drama."

"Because you make sure everyone in Mystic Falls knows how tragic your life is and how perfect you are for keeping it together," Addie murmured so quietly that Elena couldn't hear.

"I mean if he's not going to tell me anything, then all I'm left with is what other people say about him. Even if it does come from Damon. Of course, Stefan pointed out that that was exactly what Damon was doing; that he was trying to come between us. But really, if he's not going to tell me anything, I think I have the right to be a little annoyed. Even if I apologized later but I totally shouldn't have because all he says is that there are things he can't tell me!" Elena said indignantly.

"Very true," Addie nodded. This was so not worth her time. She thought she was actually going to get some new information about Damon and Stefan. The fact that they had sibling problems wasn't exactly newsworthy; Elena and Addie had fights to rival North and South Korea. And ever since the accident, there was an unsaid feeling of bitterness and anger felt by Addie towards Elena. At first she didn't care who knew that she was pissed and blamed her sister for going to that stupid party, then calling and whining to be picked up because she chose to break-up with her boyfriend in the middle of nowhere. After bashing Damon's face in over and over again though, Addie had learned to bury it.

Damon's face. There was something odd there; that night in the rain she kept feeling and hearing bones snap and crunch under her knuckles as she sat on his chest, fighting for her life. When she had finally stopped hitting, his face was normal, excluding the fair amount of blood from what should have been busted lips and a broken nose. She knew she had made face-altering injuries but he was just bloody. It didn't make sense. How had he healed over and over again so quickly? There was an answer but her brain just wasn't putting the parts together; she was missing the last few pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. It gave her a headache thinking about it.

She went back to focusing on her sister talking, "-bite marks and bruises."

"Wait. Wait. Wait," Addie said, shaking her head. She had clearly missed something important by her sister's outraged face. "Say that again."

Elena sighed impatiently, "I said that Caroline is in complete denial about Damon abusing her! I saw her in the bathroom tonight and she is completely covered in bite marks and bruises."

"Bite marks?" Addie asked, trying to keep her face as serious as possible. There had to be a limit to the ridiculousness with this guy. "Are we talking two fangs like a vampire and Twilight has come to town or all 32 teeth and Hannibal Lecter is chowing down on the head cheerleader? "

Elena gave her sister a dark look; this was her best friend they were talking about, "More on the 'let-me-sink-all-of-my-front-teeth-into-you-until-you-bleed' bite on the neck and 'as-many-teeth-as-I-can-mark-you-with' on the shoulder."

"Whoa," Addie blew out, followed by a low whistle. "I knew the guy was off but blood play kinky wasn't even on the game board I was thinking of."


	4. Chapter 4

Addie straddled her bike, pumping the handbrake mindlessly. The words from Elena's diary repeated in her head.

_It's not possible. I'm not a believer, I can't be. But how can I deny what's right in front of me? Someone who never grows old. Never gets hurt. Someone who changes in ways that can't be explained. Girls bitten. Bodies drained of blood. Stefan and Damon are vampires._

Addie had read the entry in her sister's diary a few days ago. She didn't consider it snooping; it was just the simplest way to keep up with Elena's life as Addie had a horrible tendency to tune her out when she talked. She had read about the video footage from 1957 that Elena had seen containing "Stefan" and about how his face distorted when Elena cut her finger. Elena wrote that she swore Stefan cut his hand in a fight when Jeremy broke a bottle but when she confronted him about it, the cut was gone and Stefan said it was someone else's blood.

Elena was one of the many girls who had been swept up in the garbage called _Twilight_ and Addie was pretty concerned it was affecting her mental stability. Had Elena gone a little crazy and dreamed up her own Edward Cullen and, instead of that werewolf guy, _Damon_ was going to fight Stefan for her undying love? Had the grief of the accident caused her to go off the deep end or was it just the phenomenon that hypnotized millions that made her go searching for _vampires_ in real life?

Addie undid her ponytail so she could run her fingers through her hair, unmindful of her nervous habit as she pondered her sister's wellbeing. Though, if she was she really questioning her sanity why was she in front of the Salvatore boarding house instead of tattling to Aunt Jenna? Oh, right, because she wasn't trying to get her sister shipped off to a mental hospital; that was Elena's M.O.

Elena was thinking crazy but there was _definitely_ something different about the Salvatores. Addie had her own facts and questions. She was fairly sure that Damon had some crazy super healing ability because she knew he should have needed plastic surgery after what she had done to him that first night. She had examined the building Damon had taken Vickie too and the only way onto the roof was to jump 60 feet. There wasn't any escape ladder of any kind. He had to have crazy leg strength. Vickie didn't remember being on the roof but was probably because she had been drugged out of her mind. And both Stefan and Damon must have really strong bones to be able to withstand the impact of a 60 foot jump.

Addie was thinking a lot of steroids for the strength and some crazy sort of medical experiment for the super healing and the genetic mutation LRP5 for the really strong bones. In fact, Damon had the kind of bearing that spoke of someone who had been discharged from the military from being too reckless. She wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that he was in some secret program because of his genetic mutation that made his bones practically indestructible. Pump him full of testosterone and steroids and you got a super strong, rage-filled weapon. Of course the military would want to tap in on that. 

Of course, the military might not have anything to do with it. The Salvatores were wealthy enough that they could be privately funding the research themselves. 

But her theories were just that - theories. Addie wanted an explanation from Damon himself. Screw all his threats and crap. She was going to have to have a heart to heart with the completely capable killer Damon Salvatore. She propped her bike against the house and raised her hand to knock.

Damon opened the door, letting out the strong stench of alcohol. He leaned casually against the frame as if he was expecting her. Addie couldn't deny that knowing smirk was a little sexy. "My, my, my. It looks like my little Ads has come for a visit,"

Damon gleamed like the cat that caught the mouse. He'd seen her riding the silver and navy mountain bike up the driveway an hour ago. He could hear her pedaling in reverse; traveling nowhere, meeting no resistance even when she would occasionally pump the hand brake. For a human, her balance was impressive to last for up to ten minutes before needing to set her foot down to re-balance herself. Nice perk of being a vampire - super hearing.

Damon had spent that hour wondering whether or not she would have the courage to knock or not. A downside was that vampirism didn't come with mind reading. Based on her heart rate he would have bet a fine shot of bourbon she wouldn't have the nerve to approach him if she knew what he was, like she claimed at dinner the other night. Apparently, he had no idea what he had activated in that broken and tragically wounded girl in the rain when he had told her to _take control of her life._

However, it wasn't like he was concerned if the kid knew he was a vampire. Actually, it'd be kind of fun to have her in the know. Damon had spent some time watching his little tragic transformation, and he found that Addie had a pretty narrow view of the world. She believed in facts and science and hard evidence. He was impressed when she had nearly made that perky blonde cry as Addie spit out scientific fact after fact ranging from the biological composition of the human body to the lack of gravitational influence of other planets due to distance disputing the idea that astrology was real. Caroline had called her a classic Virgo, holding her head high, though her eyes had shone with tears at the end of the twenty minute slam. After he'd been invited to the Gilbert house, he'd returned one night to look at her and noticed her books; they were all practical and most non-fiction, the fiction ones were ones that had been written when he was actually alive and considered literary masterpieces or detective/mystery fiction with logical answers. He'd found a copy of _Dracula_ that must have been required for school as there was commentary written in it, most of it degrading to the author or the ideology or how something was impractical or impossible. Damon couldn't resist himself and had written his own commentary on the inside of the back cover, " _You've got it all wrong,_ " before sticking it back on her anally organized bookshelf.

Standing in front of him, she looked so small and young. Addie was at least a good six or seven inches shorter than her sister. His smirk tugged upwards just a bit more as he recalled that she had spent her 15th birthday, just a few weeks ago on the second day of school, competing in a paintball competition. Everyone was masked so he had joined in. She was pretty good for being a 15-year-old girl. Addie had made it to the last 8 standing out of 40 people. Damon got a bit bored by that point though and decided to start playing with his vampire blessed skills and knocked everyone out. Then he went home and reunited with his little brother. That was a fun day.

He had to keep in check that this little side project, this kid, didn't distract from his main goal: freeing Katherine. Her sister, who was a freaky clone of some kind, was very distracting. It was like he didn't need to free Katherine; the woman he loved was right there. But it was hard to remember it was just her body not her personality that was there; especially when she was fawning all over Stefan. The kid was a good distraction from the Elena problem, though. She had a darkness to her and watching her _taking control of her life_ under his compulsion was kind of fascinating. He'd never compelled someone for their own good and definitely not for something so active and long lasting.

"I want to talk to you," Addie declared, crossing her arms in front of her, making it clear she wasn't going anywhere until she got what she wanted. She hoped she looked and sounded more confident than she felt.

With a dramatic flourish of his arms as if presenting her to the Queen of England he challenged, "Well, by all means do come in."

She didn't trust the sparkle in Damon's eyes as he angled his body so she could pass by him. Addie rocked back and forth in her navy Converse; they had gone with the skinny navy tie that had been her dad's over a white buttoned blouse with a pair of black skinny jeans. Elena had given her shit over wearing a tie and some people had given her weird looks at the Grill earlier but she really didn't care. Addie found comfort in tying the Windsor knot she had seen her father do so many mornings for work. As she absentmindedly loosened and tightened it throughout the day, it brought back happy, warming memories of her dad. She rolled the end around her finger nervously as she watched Damon lock the door.

"To Sotheby's Auction, shall we?" smirked Damon, offering Addie his arm to loop hers through.

Her cerulean eyes were hard and cold as she looked Damon in the eye, "You're acting weirder than usual."

"You're not the only one who has annoying siblings and aunts/uncles who think they can change you. I've been a bit under house arrest the past few days. I suppose it's really starting to mess with my social skills," Damon shrugged, a bit of a teasing smile fighting the scowling face he was making.

Addie let out an exaggerated scoff, "It's _starting_ to mess with your social skills? Man, no wonder I don't understand people. Good social skills are based off of trying to kill someone." She smacked herself in the head and continued on in an immensely sarcastic tone, "How could I have been so oblivious?"

Damon chuckled darkly. Even knowing him now, that sound still made her feel drawn to him.

"If I remember correctly you told me to do it," he smirked, taking a step closer to her so there was only about a foot between them.

The feeling of his strong hand crushing her throat close came back; suddenly the tie at her neck felt like it was trying to strangle her, too. She didn't want to look at him because that would require her to look up as he was towering over her now. That would mean exposing her throat to him again. But if she didn't then she would look weak and she couldn't let him get the best of her.

"A normal person would have let go when someone started clawing at their hand, not work harder to try and kill someone," Addie sneered, staring at the tip of his nose; she couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes.

Damon gave a crooked half grin, "I think we both know I'm pretty far from normal. I'm pretty damn extraordinary. If you really wanted to die or if I really wanted you dead, you wouldn't be here criticizing my social skills. I was being _nice_. How many other people would have let you smash their face in without putting up a fight?"

Addie brought her hand up to rub over her face in attempt to calm down; she couldn't help but notice the silky look of Damon's black button up. Her thumb and index finger held her chin in feigned thought when she finally spoke after several seconds, "That's you being nice? What the hell do consider being mean? Actually, I don't think I want to know." Addie stepped back and gave him a skeptical look, remembering something odd he had said. "You're, what, in your early 20s? And your 17-year-old brother and uncle have put you under house arrest? You don't exactly seem like the type to take orders… or punishment."

"I never said I didn't break the rules," he winked with a hint of a smile like he knew something she didn't.

"Then why would house arrest be getting to your social skills?" Addie quipped back, despising that knowing look of his.

For the first time she saw Damon seem to falter for words for a moment, a break in that stony exterior, almost as if he did have emotions. "I decided to play along with their little 'treatment plan' for awhile thinking it might be fun to let them think they could finally teach an old dog new tricks. Then, I got bored and went out last night. Met some people but there was very little talking but a lot of...drinking. So, you're really the first person I've had a conversation with in quite a few days," he explained dismissively. 

"Aww, were you too pouty to talk to Stefan and Uncle Zach?" she was not about to feel sorry for him.

His brow crinkled. "Not really. My family is more the 'lock-you-in-a-prison-and-only-visit-to-drop-off-meals' kind when it comes to house arrest."

Addie scoffed again. "Yeah, you look real trapped to me," she mocked jerking her head towards the door.

"You could say I busted out of my jail cell," Damon smirked wickedly, sending chills through Addie.

"And you're rebelling by raiding your uncle's liquor cabinet," Addie tacked on conspiratorially, still noticing the overwhelming scent of alcohol. "Wow. You've got this whole _dangerous, bad guy_ thing down that you could give my wimpy brother a run for his money."

Damon scowled. If she wanted to mock him, he'd just have to give her a shock about how serious he was. He turned on his heel and swaggered towards the living room, knowing Addie would be curious and follow. "Speaking of Jeremy, I've had one of his friends over since last night. It wasn't like I raided the cabinet on my own, little missy. Frankly, if she wasn't… out of commission at the moment, I would still be partying it up with her and not playing 20 questions with you."

"The game is called 21 questions," Addie snapped before letting his words sink in and rushing to follow him. "Out of comm-? Oh. My. God."

Addie stood on the steps that descended into the living room, catching sight of Vickie Donovan sleeping on the Salvatore's couch. She was on her stomach but her head was twisted around enough that she could see her face. Addie rubbed her eyes furiously with the heels of her hands; she could feel a headache coming on.

"Did you sleep with her?" she demanded, shooting Damon an accusatory look while pointing a stiff finger at Vickie. When she saw Damon start to open her mouth she held up her hand in protest, "Actually, I really, really, really don't want to know. Ugh! I don't know who is more disgusting; you for hanging out with her or her for hanging out with you! I can't believe I'm saying this but I thought you at least had some taste!"

"Well, I did try to kill her. Twice. Well, three times kind of," he said with a bit of a defensive shrug. "But the girl just seemed to keep living. Figured she must of had a fire in her, like you."

Addie felt the bile rise in the back of her throat. This was the girl that stole Jeremy away from; the girl he'd been doing all that horrible stuff with. She felt the heat in her cheeks and narrowing of her eyes and wasn't surprised to hear her voice as a threatening whisper. "Don't _ever_ compare me to that bitch."

"I wasn't," Damon said innocently, the light making his eyes look like the color of a crashing wave as they went wide. "I was completely wrong. Her life was so pathetic and she was so damaged without an ounce of self-esteem like you were on the night we met. Difference between you and her is that you still had the will to fight in you, even if you didn't think so. I can testify to the multiple broken bones and busted lips."

Addie's eyes flashed around at all the books lining the room. She couldn't handle what he was saying. No, she'd just find a familiar book and they would talk about that. They wouldn't talk about that night in the rain. They wouldn't talk about Vickie; he was… he was talking about her like she was _dead_.

As much as she tried not to look she couldn't help it. Vickie's head, yes, she could have been sleeping with her head sideways but people's heads _didn't_ turn up past their shoulder when they slept. Knowing what she would find, Addie wasn't sure why she was walking towards Vickie. Squatting in front of her she stuck a finger under the other girl's nose; she wasn't breathing. Cringing at the broken neck she felt around for the jugular vein; there was no pulse. Slowly Addie stood back up and turned to face Damon who was making himself a drink.

Feeling her eyes on him Damon couldn't hide the smugness in his voice when he asked her if she wanted a drink.

"I'm fifteen," Addie responded, shaking her head dumbly, still trying to process that he had actually killed Vickie. It was one thing to know he could but to know that he _did_ kill someone, someone she knew….

"Do I look like the type to card someone?" Damon said, mimicking Addie's conspiratorial voice of earlier.

Addie studied him for a moment, "Yeah, actually. I could see you as a bar back. You'd card some underage kid with a fake ID and cut it up just for the power rush. Just to show you're the boss, you're the one in control."

Damon seemed to contemplate the idea as he took a seat on the sofa, nursing his drink in one hand. "No, that would mean I would have to have a real job and can you really see me having a job? I think I'd have co-worker relationship problems. _But_ if I ever catch you with a fake ID, I'll cut it up just for the power rush." He took a long sip from his glass, studying her over the rim. Curiously he asked, "Do you think you're being brave, Addie, telling me I have control issues?"

"No, Damon, I'm just telling you the truth," she sighed heavily, shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

Damon didn't like the fact that she wasn't completely freaking out that he had just killed her brother's girlfriend. "Have a seat," he said indicating the opposite end of the couch. "I believe you wanted to talk?"

Addie raked a hand through her long brown locks nervously, "I did but it seems like it might be a bad time. You have a dead body for company and I don't really want to know how you're going to handle that. I think I would be charged with 'conspiracy after the fact' and I doubt I would go Ivy league with something like that on my record." She gave a dry laugh.

Damon rolled his eyes, "It's not like she's going anywhere right now and I won't have a dead body to deal with. Sit."

Addie hated how he used his power at that moment; that last word was a command not a request.

"Speak."

"I'm not a dog," Addie snapped, without thinking.

"No but I will eventually need to deal with Vickie and I would prefer you not be here," Damon said harshly.

Why was she making this so difficult? Vickie had been _dead_ for awhile and he didn't want the girl to wake up and kill his project. Ugh, now Vickie was a another project, too. He hadn't thought about that. He needed to get his mind focused again. Katherine, Katherine, and only Katherine. No Elena, Addie, and Vickie. Maybe he should let Vickie kill Addie, then he would kill Vickie. It would be a quick solution to two distractions... No, he really wanted to see how this little life compulsion played out with Addie. Katherine wouldn't mind as long as he managed to get her free; she liked experiments and toying with humans, she'd understand.

Addie took a deep breath and rushed out "So, does your Uncle Zach have the genetic mutation LRP5? I read that it was genetic. I don't mean to be offensive, it's just kind of a really cool phenomenon and -"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Damon asked, looking at her as if she had grown a second head.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Addie said, quickly flushing. "I mean, I think it's pretty cool. Your bones are like what, 8 times denser than the average person? Do you know how many people would love to jump from a 60 foot building without having to be attached to a bungee cord to survive?"

"Wait," Damon said slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose, "you think I can do that because of some genetic mutation?"

"Well, yeah," Addie stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, Zach doesn't have that mutation. Is that all you wanted to talk about?" Damon sighed in frustration. He really thought she had thought outside the box and figured out that he was a vampire.

"The medical experiment you're in that lets you heal so fast; is it dangerous? When is it going to be available to the public? Can it cure cancer or HIV? Is it going to be something really impacting?" Addie fired off, fear and hope in her deep blue eyes.

Damon tossed back the last of his bourbon. Of course she would come up with some logical explanation for that night. He slammed his tumbler on the coffee table. Damon didn't know why he felt angry with her. "So, you have an explanation for everything except how I got onto the roof."

Addie's eyebrows knitted together, "Of course I do. That's the easiest; a grappling hook and rope. And maybe a bit of steroids; that would also explain your hot and cold temper."

Damon shook his head in disappointment. "If that's all you came for, I think it's time for you to leave." Detached, Damon started to stand.

"It's not," Addie said firmly. When Damon looked back at her, she was still seated and kept looking from him to the couch expectantly.

"Ok. What else have you got to tell me?" Damon grumbled, sitting back down, his arms crossed.

If Addie didn't know any better she'd say Damon was pouting; it was kinda cute. But he was a murdering psychopath. "Sibling to sibling, I need you to convince Stefan to stay away from Elena and I need you to stay away from her too."

"Why?" Damon asked suspiciously. He was all for keeping Stefan away from Elena but why couldn't he have her?

Addie shook her head slowly, looking perplexed. "It's not healthy for her."

"Healthy?" Damon prodded.

"Look, you've kept my secret about that night so can I trust you with one more about Elena?" Addie said softly, tears rimming her eyes.

Damon didn't know what made him do it but he scooted closer to Addie, taking one of her hands between his and holding it in attempt to comfort her. It was awkward; he didn't recall genuinely trying to comfort someone. The last true comfort he could remember was Katherine telling _him_ that everything would be ok with the purging of vampires in Mystic Falls in 1864.

"I promise I'll keep it just between us," he said softly, noticing she was staring at their hands. It really was awkward. Then he felt her interlaced fingers with his and a soft squeeze. Still weird but definitely a little less. He could tell it was just as weird for her from how stiffly she held her hand.

Addie raked her free hand through her hair and stared at the high ceiling, trying not to let gravity pull her tears out. "I think Elena's really sick. I thought she was handling our parents' death perfectly but Stefan and you seem to be making her crack. God, I can't even believe I'm saying this. Don't get offended. Elena thinks you and Stefan are vampires. Stefan's her personal Edward Cullen personified and you're the wolf guy except as a vampire, either way, you represent another guy also fighting for her love. It's like she's let the lines between reality and fiction blur. Except it's even worse because it's not like she's blurring _realistic fiction_ ; there's no such thing as vampires." Damon was staring at her, leaving Addie uncomfortably scrambling for words. "I know I probably sound crazy even just saying this but she's my _sister._ I have to do what I can to keep her alright. I don't want her sent away somewhere. I mean just because she's a bitch of enough to try and get me shipped-"

"Addie," Damon said softly but effectively stopping her frantic speech. "Oh, my little Ads," her murmured, tracing random patterns on her hand. "You were suppose to be the one to figure that out; not Elena." He could feel Addie recoiling, trying to pull her hand away but he held it firmly. "I thought you wanted to talk because you figured it but instead you come over here with all these logical explanations because you can't fathom the idea of a world that can't be put into formulas and equations. Then to make it worse, you think your sister is crazy because she's figured out what I really am."

"What you really are?" Addie spoke softly, sadly. "Oh, Damon." She brought her free hand up and cautiously placed it on his cheek, her thumb sweeping over his 5 o'clock shadow. "I knew - I - Damon, do you really think you're a vampire? You're not. I mean, I know what you're capable of but that doesn't make you a vampire. You're just…"

"Just what?" Damon asked neutrally. He wasn't sure about that sad look that she was giving him. It wasn't pity; it was a look of compassion that held understanding. She had been lost about who she was until he compelled her. Addie really thought she understood about him not really knowing who he was.

She wanted to say he was just sick but she didn't exactly know how Damon would respond to that. Instead she just went to pull her hand away from Damon's face but was surprised when she felt his cool, dry hand holding it in place.

"You were playing 20 questions before; let's play again," Damon said nervously, suddenly not wanting her to bolt and run, to be afraid of him.

Addie wanted nothing more than to leave but Damon sounded and looked vulnerable. That scared her more than the knowledge that he had killed Vickie; he was _really_ sick. She pulled both her hands away from him firmly and set them in her lap. "It's 21 questions."

"You shouldn't need that many. The clue is vampire and questions aren't limited to yes/no, just to whatever you need to know to believe me," Damon sighed in relief, seeing that she wasn't bolting.

Addie couldn't believe she was going along with this. She wasn't going to believe Damon because vampires weren't real. But what would happen if she told him she didn't believe him? Would he kill her like he killed Vickie? He seemed harmless enough right now but she still remembering him trying to kill her before. Vickie's dead body was enough proof that he was dangerous. But maybe she could prove to him that he wasn't a vampire.

She'd go with the most obvious question first: "Where are your fangs?"

Damon gave her a full, toothy grin, exposing, as she expected, his slightly pointed canine teeth. Then the teeth extended and a set of sharp, elongated fangs appeared. His mouth was now open so she could she from the gap between the fangs to the back of his mouth. Addie jumped back in fear, scurrying off the couch and backing into the window curtains.

Damon's fangs retracted as he got off the couch slowly. He held his hands open palm and innocently towards Addie as he moved closer to her. He left about four feet in between them, not wanting her to feel crowded. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Oh, yeah?" Addie said laughing nervously, feeling like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her. Or he must have used some kind of illusion. "What do you eat?"

"Same kind of food as you do," Damon shrugged innocently, knowing this isn't what she meant. Still, it meant she wasted a question by poor phrasing on her part.

"What do you need to - to - to function properly?" she asked again, fishing for the right words.

"Blood."

Addie pushed herself further into the wall, "I'm going to take a stab in the dark and assume you mean human blood."

"Well, Stefan _is_ on the Edward Cullen diet of bunnies and deer but he always, eventually falls off the wagon," Damon added.

"So you could live off only animal blood and not hurt anyone if you wanted to?" Addie said, raking her hands through her hair. How was she even considering this?

"Living that way makes you very weak." He could hear the slightly hopeful tone in Addie's voice was was determined to quickly squash it, "I kill people. I drink human blood. I like being strong. That will never change."

It looked like Addie was working out a puzzle in her head. "Caroline?"

Damon groaned, "That's an opened question but I'm _trying_ to be honest with you. I was feeding off of Caroline. I would take blood from her and I convinced her, I compelled her to do, say, feel, or remember whatever I wanted. At the dinner you walked in on Stefan being mad at me for feeding off Caroline and compelling her into liking it."

"Your house arrest?"

"Yeah, all vampires have a weakness. Stefan spiked Caroline's glass with it and the it hit me when I drank her blood. I was pretty much a limp vampire for the last three days. Yesterday I was finally strong enough to compel Caroline to come free me."

Addie was chewing vigorously on the inside of her cheek. This was information overload. "And I'm guessing you can't feed on her anymore so now what?"

"Well, it took me a group of teenagers last night and Vickie today to regain my strength," he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Because humans are whatever you want them to be," Addie recalled his words. "Their lives didn't matter to you."

"They were a bunch of druggies going nowhere," Damon countered, as if this made it slightly less criminal.

"That's how my delinquent brother looks now but he's turning his life around!" Addie couldn't help but shout at Damon. If Vickie had been there Jeremy likely had been too but she knew he was safe at home.

"They weren't!" Damon yelled back, suddenly feeling as if he had to justify himself. 

"And now they won't get a chance to because you decided that for them, Damon. Just like you tried to decide for me," Addie spat.

"Vickie will. She's not dead, Addie," Damon said urgently, trying to make up any credit he had built with her.

Addie shook her head violently. "No. No. I checked. That, that is a corpse. She is dead. You killed her."

"I killed her with my blood in her system. If you die with a vampire's blood in your system you begin the transition. Soon she'll wake up and once she has human blood she'll be a vampire."

"Oh! Oh! Well, isn't that just fucking great?! My sister's in love with a vampire! My brother is in love with a soon-to-be vampire! And I'm trapped in a room with the most lethal of all three vampires!" Addie couldn't help but laugh hysterically, "You see how fucked up all of this sounds?! Nice parlor trick with the fangs. You and your brother better just stay away from my family."

Addie, with a renewed sense of courage by knowing how fake this all was headed for the front door. She was just about to grab the knob when Damon instantaneously appeared before her.

"Super speed," he said simply to her confused face. Then he compelled her for the second time, "You know that Stefan and I are vampires. You going to go home think about everything that has happened since you came here and you will believe in vampires. I'm sorry you made me do this."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This has already been written and completed. I'm working on making revisions and edits,


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